Venu Madhav Govindu: India needs a Shanti Sena to fight for the foundational values of the republic
NB: A timely and poignant essay. Yes, we need to work very hard to re-establish the bonds of friendship among Indians; and to repair the damage to our institutions of governance. Five years of absolute rule by an ideocracy lead by an authoritarian leader has done much damage. The RSS is directly responsible for this, as the government has functioned under their control, and their sole aim as always been to transform Sanatan Dharma into a concoction called Hindutva; to force this atheistic ideology upon the entire public as India's civil religion (much like Japan's State Shinto); and to do all this in a climate of terror, intimidation and foul abuse.
The sight of a Prime Minister spreading communal divisiveness amongst Indians is an utter disgrace - and Modi is a product of the RSS, who do not even hesitate to put up terror-accused as parliamentary candidates. Or use the Indian Armed Forces in partisan election propaganda.
The sight of a Prime Minister spreading communal divisiveness amongst Indians is an utter disgrace - and Modi is a product of the RSS, who do not even hesitate to put up terror-accused as parliamentary candidates. Or use the Indian Armed Forces in partisan election propaganda.
They and their apologists are an insult to Hinduism; as well as to all of India's peoples and their multi-faceted culture. It is the duty of those Hindus who value their faith to reject this doctrine of hatred and revenge. Attempts at enclosing the Almighty within geo-political boundaries are atheism - you cannot nationalise God. Nation-worship is not religion; it is a power-driven ideology. Thanks to the author for writing this piece. DS
If we take stock of
the performance of the Indian government in the last five years, it fails on
many counts. Reckless measures such as demonetisation have seriously impacted
the economy. Our credibility in international politics has received a severe
drubbing. But the singular characteristic of the Narendra Modi regime
has been its direct assault on the very identity of the Indian republic.
Profoundly shaped by
the movement for Independence, the modern Indian identity transcended the
European definition of a nation in monolithic terms of race, religion, culture
and language. India was simply the sum of its peoples. One is reminded of the
evocative definition of desam or a nation by the Andhra social reformer and
pioneering writer, Gurajada Apparao. Gurajada’s declamation in a 1910 poem is
common currency in Telugu:
Desamante matti kadoyi/ desamante manushuloyi.
Translated, it prosaically reads as
A nation is not its land/A nation is its
people
Partition severely
tested and wounded this formulation of our nationhood.
But over the decades, India has largely avoided the narrowness of monolithic nationalism that has plagued many post-colonial societies. During the struggle for freedom, Hindutva held itself aloof from this worldview. It has bided its time and now seeks to radically reshape what it means to be an Indian. In the past few years, brazen attacks have been unleashed on Dalits, Muslims and other minorities. A climate of fear and terror has been created by measures centred around the National Register of Citizens in Assam and the wanton lynching of Muslims across the country. But let there be no doubt that it is the inexorable logic of any toxic ideology to encompass more people into an ever-expanding circle of hate.
But over the decades, India has largely avoided the narrowness of monolithic nationalism that has plagued many post-colonial societies. During the struggle for freedom, Hindutva held itself aloof from this worldview. It has bided its time and now seeks to radically reshape what it means to be an Indian. In the past few years, brazen attacks have been unleashed on Dalits, Muslims and other minorities. A climate of fear and terror has been created by measures centred around the National Register of Citizens in Assam and the wanton lynching of Muslims across the country. But let there be no doubt that it is the inexorable logic of any toxic ideology to encompass more people into an ever-expanding circle of hate.
In the face of a
bruising attack on India’s secular constitutional identity, the opposition
parties have been found to be utterly wanting. Most of them have shown little
interest in challenging the construction of an aggressive political Hinduism
that defines itself by demonising everyone else. With national elections
underway, many people have reposed their hopes in a defeat of the present
regime. This seems to be wishful thinking at best. One of the durable
transformations effected in the last few years is the normalisation of
falsehood and bigotry and the steady undermining of a number of institutions.
The legacy of such shifts in the public realm is not going to disappear with a
change in the political regime.… read more:
Bharat Bhushan - Are RSS, BJP risking their political future?
Manoj
Mitta - When Even the Supreme Court Let Down the Nation
A Violent End: The collapse of a murder trial - By LEENA GITA REGHUNATH
A Violent End: The collapse of a murder trial - By LEENA GITA REGHUNATH
PURUSHOTTAM
AGRAWAL - The BJP has Unleashed the Bhasmasura of Aggressive Nationalism. Good
Luck Controlling It
Venue for a Speech on Tamas - Chronicle of an Event That Should Never Have Happened
The Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi: Inquiry Commission Report
(1969)Venue for a Speech on Tamas - Chronicle of an Event That Should Never Have Happened
