SANDEEP HEBLE
Patriotism comes naturally to us as human beings. When India plays any other Country in Sports, we cheer our Country. When Goa plays any other State, we root for our State. Whichever school or college we are studying in, we cheer that institution. We cheer our club or team whenever it plays another team. We say Sachin Tendulkar has been the best batsman in the World and Virat Kohli is now. That sense of being with our own fellow groups or community or those who we share a common bond with is inherent within us. When our Country wins medals on the World arena, we rejoice. When our athletes do well, we celebrate. When India wins the World cup, we hit the streets for road rallies. Sharing a sense of joy, patriotism and love which is a natural trait that gives us a sense of pride. So is the patriotic fervour nowadays taking a new pitch? Or is it getting more aggressive than what it should be otherwise?
If we look at the current state of affairs, I feel a definite yes. Our day to day lives are being dictated too much by this aggressive brand of nationalism. In the name of Nationalism and Patriotism, we get a heavy dose of hostility, be it on the Social media or on the TV channels with anchors screaming and telling us how and in what way we need to be patriotic. The space for an alternate thought or a more careful and objective analysis on any given issue is shrinking. Gone are the days of good discussions and debates where one could witness objective analysis, either for or against any particular given issue. Fairness and neutrality have gone missing in today’s scheme of things.
Every now and then, I receive “patriotic” forwards on my email and whatsapp. That our National Anthem has been voted as the best in the world. Our tri colour flag is the best designed flag. Vande Mataram is the most popular song. Taj Mahal is the best among the World wonders, etc. Most of these forwards appeal to my national pride and sentiments. Then, I as a patriotic Indian must forward these to others so that they remain continuously in the loop. This is a new sense of nationalism that has entered our system and many of us have fallen for it. Whenever a National feeling is invoked, we must accept everything at face value without an objective analysis and cross checking.
However, I normally ignore such posts. Though ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is good poetry and has been thoughtfully penned by Rabindranath Tagore, I do not consider it as the best in the world. Likewise, I feel there are many other flags which are more artistically designed and our flag pales in comparison. Similarly, I love listening to a variety of music, both Indian and western, also find many other songs better in tune than our National song. Am I being an unpatriotic Indian by saying this? Does patriotism mean we blindly accept things that are being told to use without applying our minds logically and rationally?
Time-to-time, many cash in on this Nationalistic fervour to make a fast buck. Some years back, New 7 Wonders Foundation, a little known Swiss non-profit group, came up with a world wide Poll to prepare a new list of the 7 Wonders of the World. The then Union Culture Minister, Ambika Soni cast her vote in favour of Taj Mahal- the monument of love, and appealed to other Indians to do the same. This was the case in other Countries also with voting largely being based on nationalistic grounds. Taj Mahal incidentally came fourth in this poll with many of the original 7 wonders failing to make this list. So much for objectivity and fairness.
An Indian Company Patanjali has made rapid and unimaginable strides as a brand not so much for the quality of products it has on offer but on the Nationalistic sentiments it invokes. The subtle message being if we do not purchase their products the money will go into the hands of multi-national companies and lands outside our Country. Majority buy these products on the patriotic spiritual appeal, not on the quality.
At other times, patriotism also takes an ugly shape. People routinely get beaten up for not wearing their nationalism on their sleeves. A physically challenged person had to face this ire when he did not stand up during the screening of the National anthem in a cinema. So many crimes nowadays are being committed in the name of patriotism and people getting away simply by chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jay”, a scene so eloquently captured in a recent Bollywood movie, Anurag Kashyap’s “Mukkabaaz”.
If nationalism has acquired an ugly manifestation today, it is because we, the people, are losing our sense of reasoning. The State, to divert the attention of the public from its failures often invokes nationalism and we fall into this trap. Nationalism today is being reduced to crude jingoism. It goes against the spirit of all that our forefathers fought for. In the name of freedom, we are actually getting enslaved to political ideas.
Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, in a near similar context had warned us against the ills of this form of nationalism when in a lecture, he said “Nationalism is a great menace. It is the particular thing which for years has been at the bottom of India’s troubles.” Let us learn from his wise words. There is a need to differentiate between true nationalism and its skewed version.
True nationalism means building a better Country. Providing a better quality of life to the citizens. Giving us good governance, good infrastructure as well as better laws and justice. As rational beings, freedom to think and reason out rationally and logically is what we must all crave for and pursue; not get enslaved by narrow ideas, whether in the name of religion or ideology or nationalism even otherwise. People need to rise and strive to achieve these objectives.
The writer is the Treasurer of Goa RTI Forum.
