Aijaz Zaka Syed
AS India turns 68 as a constitutional republic, there’s jubilation all around. The country can view its eventful journey and strides it has taken on all fronts with immense pride. Few countries facing such overwhelming odds have grown at such a pace without surrendering their independence of spirit.
Given the humble beginnings in 1947 and the daunting path of self-reliance that it chose under Jawaharlal Nehru, what India has managed to accomplish is nothing short of extraordinary.
Today, it is not just one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a massive pool of talent and resources; it has registered its presence in every sphere. More than the progress in material terms, if there is one single most important feat of which Indians can be truly proud of, it’s their democracy. Considering the country’s size, this boisterous and at times chaotic experiment in representative governance is nothing short of a living miracle.
There have been formidable challenges too. Yet ordinary Indians have never given up on their country or about a better tomorrow. Many of them cannot read or write and are at times disillusioned with their politicians. Yet they also believe in the power of their vote to deliver change.
Even during the most trying times in their history, the Indians have never given up or given in. So if India has had such a spectacular and steady journey as a democracy, rightly a source of envy to many of its neighbors, the credit goes to its people.
As India crosses another milestone, it would do well to pause and ponder the course ahead and challenges staring it in the face. Its future as an inclusive democracy of myriad faiths, cultures and languages faces challenges from within. The country is undergoing a silent churning.
Of course, change is essential for a healthy democracy. However, a change that seeks to turn the world upside down, striking at every principle and ideal that once inspired and led the republic could only lead to chaos and instability, and more importantly, the erosion of the Idea of India.
After three years of the BJP rule, all is not well with the India of Gandhi’s dreams. The cult of leader worship pervades all affairs and spheres of the republic and national life. The recent replacing of Mahatma Gandhi’s iconic image of spinning cotton yarn on a charkha on Khadi Udyog’s calendar with that of Narendra Modi may look improbably crude and egotistic but it’s just the beginning.
To top it all, instead of being embarrassed about these delusions of grandeur, the BJP chooses to brazen it out pointing to the ‘surge’ in sale of khadi products under this government. Indeed, they have the temerity to suggest that theirs is the greatest leader to ever lead India, over and above the Mahatma and the first line of formidable leaders groomed by him.
Many BJP states already have chapters in school textbooks dedicated to the prime minister, explaining how he dedicated his life to serving the nation, sacrificing all that he had including that famous tea stall that his father ostensibly owned.
What next? New currency notes with his image after the yeoman service rendered to the economy with the note ban? Even Nehru, who was Gandhi’s contemporary and is considered the architect of modern India thanks to his defining 16 years of leadership, wouldn’t dare claim such entitlement.
Prof Shamsul Islam argues that this deliberate, careful spawning of the personality cult is part of the efforts to usher in the Hindu Rashtra. The Parivar in its various avatars has indeed been working on several fronts towards this goal. From rewriting history books to poison young, impressionable minds to infiltrating top government bodies and think tanks like the NCERT and ICHR with hate-spewing saffron elements, we are getting there steadily and gradually, one step at a time.
Not a day passes without some Hindutva luminary going after Muslims and other minorities. Reflecting the new national mood, the dream merchants of new India are increasingly coming up with films and television serials that openly paint the 800-year long Muslim rule, which gave India so much in all spheres of life, as nothing but tyranny and enslavement of the country.
This month, Sony unveiled with great fanfare yet another dangerously distorted version of history with ‘Peshwa Bajirao’, openly abusing the Mogul rulers as ‘foreign aggressors’ and much more. Peshwa, a Maratha chieftain, recently played by superstar Ranveer Singh on the big screen, is of course the hero and son of the soil fighting ‘Muslim aggression.’
This is of course the narrow version of history that the RSS and BJP have always championed -- something that the Indian state and its progressive, inclusive Constitution firmly rejected.
However, with the Parivar now controlling all levers of power and setting the national agenda and discourse, this worldview of the fringe is now increasingly gaining ascendancy. It is fast replacing the original idea of an inclusive India, championed by the heroes of Independence movement, which the Hindutva leadership, incidentally, gave a miss.
Is it any wonder then hate is rising and religious minorities find themselves increasingly demonized and stigmatized? Where is it all going to end? With friends like these, who needs external enemies?
What’s most disturbing about this whole business is the total inability and helplessness of secular political parties to check this state of affairs. While the Congress remains in a coma-like state, no effective attempt is being made by other parties to stop the onward march of fascism. The Left’s sphere of influence is constantly shrinking. Satraps like Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee and others, who could confront the BJP, are content with their turfs. Mulayam Singh has committed a political hara-kiri with his recent antics. Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party offers a ray of hope but is largely confined to Delhi and other metros.
Even as India eyes a bigger role on the world stage, dark clouds are gathering over the horizon. There are forebodings about the direction of the republic. The Constitution that the Republic Day celebrates and promises freedom and equal rights to all citizens is under assault. It would be a great tragedy if all that the nation has achieved over the past 70 years as a vibrant, multicultural democracy is squandered.
— Aijaz Zaka Syed is an award-winning journalist. Email: Aijaz.syed@hotmail.com
