Lok
Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM has triggered a debate on saying
aloud “Bharat Mata ki Jai” (glory to Mother India). He said the Constitution did not compel
anyone to utter those words and he would
not chant them. But none
of us look for Constitutional compulsions in every single thing we consider
right, good or necessary to do. For
instance, if we need to say, the Constitution does not command us to breathe,
vote or contest an election. Let us then look at a few other things.
We all know. There is no god in
Hindu religion with the name 'Bharat Mata'. So it is nothing about a god projected
by a religion and recommended to people of other religions. Bharat Mata is just
a mental personification of an India held dear in our hearts. The people, as well as the Constitution, of the country
recognise ‘Bharat’ as denoting India. So we get the term Bharat Mata, as a
manner of speaking. It is a fine evocative expression too. Only dull heads with no idea of the beauty or effect of imagery will ask, "How can a
country be a mother?"
‘Bharat Mata' is not the only
expression people use to cherish their nation, its leaders or its values.
Another term heard all over the world is 'father of the nation'. No one
in India objects to Mahatma Gandhi being hailed as the father of our nation. A political leader who plays a pivotal role in the
founding of a nation or in liberating it may be affectionately called by its
people as the father of their nation. By tradition, a father protects, nurtures
and leads his children to adulthood who then look up to him with respect and
gratitude - both of which happened more in earlier times. Likewise, a leader who devotes his energy and
acumen in the evolution of a nation is acclaimed as a father of the nation. In
Indian culture a mother is specially loved and respected by her children - yes,
more in earlier times - for all her physical sacrifices in giving birth to them
and caring for them during their infancy and growing years, with many sleepless
nights, and for the lasting emotional bond that
she, more than the father, builds with them. So if you wish to portray a
grateful reverence to your nation that is Bharat, no wonder you would call her
Bharat Mata.
English people too have
associated ‘mother’ with one's country. So they have the word
'motherland'. For Indians, hailing their nation Bharat Mata is like other
nationalities calling their nation motherland. Uttering or hearing the words ‘Bharat Mata’ should evoke in Indians a
bonding with the land of their birth, which does not happen with the mere name
of India or Bharat or Hindustan, certainly not as deeply. Don't you see the
difference between a resounding chant of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and a
lifeless shout of "Hindustan Zindabad"?
Some leaders contend that the
slogans "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Hindustan Zindabad" mean
the same thing and so it is all right if they refuse to utter the former and
just say the other. This is a poor robotic argument. What would you say to
someone who asserts that gulping a spoonful of plain sugar and relishing a
piece of halwa are just the same thing? Tasteless.
Not just a leader, but a
country's cherished value too is personified. A shining example of this is New
York's Statue of Liberty. It is not a statue for Liberty. It is the Statue of
Liberty. US citizens do not protest the idea of depicting inanimate liberty in
the form of a lady.
Well-publicised news reports quote a noted Indian historian, also a Marxist, as saying, “Bharat Mata has nothing to do with
India’s ancient or medieval past. It is a
European import. Notions of motherland
and fatherland were talked about in Europe.” Here is an unstated suggestion that if Indians
give up the chanting of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ they would be in tune with their hoary
past and would be rid of a present-day controversy. Even if the historian is right on facts, it is surprising he is so
mechanical about the issue and unmindful of positive popular sentiments. For that matter, Constitutional government
has also nothing to do with India’s ancient or medieval past and is a European
import, but that is not to be mentioned today disapprovingly in any context. And then, Marxism propagated in India is also of foreign import, but that cannot be a reason to disagree with that philosophy. If a practice or activity is legally
permissible in our public life and is preferred by many but opposed by some, the
right question to ask first is if that works to the public good. Ordinary Indians are emotionally driven, and
so a good slogan for the nation with a unifying emotional content is welcome.
It is not that Indian Muslims as a
whole object to the chanting of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, which is what Owaisi
wants us to believe. But he is an Indian
leader and ordinary people have to fear him, unlike in mature democracies where
leaders fear misreading people's minds. Poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar won the hearts
of many Indians when he spoke recently in the Rajya Sabha, denouncing Owaisi’s
statement and himself chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. This is not to say that Javed Akhtar has
given in. He has recognized the value of
that chant for all Indians, and so has gone with it for the good of his nation.
But he is not in active politics, and Owaisi is. Imagine the shot in the arm for Hindu-Muslim brotherhood
if Owaisi could say, “For Hindus and Muslims in India, standing together for
the glory of India and saying ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ is a strong message to
ourselves and to the world. It helps us all to march forward and grow”.
Owaisi is
not alone in the art of political maneuvering.
Many other politicians too play it best from their positions. He is one among several short-sighted leaders from most Indian political parties who have abysmally failed a great nation. Bharat Mata has a hard journey ahead though
many may cheer her.
* * * *
*
Copyright
© R. Veera Raghavan 2016
Indeed a nice and frank write. Thanks and congrats.
ReplyDeleteOwaissi may be right or wrong, more wrong than right. It is debatable. "Bharath Matha' or "Bharath Matha ki jai" is no doubt agreat manthra. But it has been spoilt by the criminals who are anti-Indian and anti-Hindu, who appropriate the sacred slogan for their narrow ends it is detestable and breeds contempt by the Owais's like.
Unfortunately those who insist upon such slogans are not working to create a healthy atmosphere for the spread of such ideas. That is why insistence on such issues creates more bad blood than bonhomie and sense of unity. You cannot spread nationalism and patriotism by insisting upon everyone to call himself a nationalist and patriot. That feeling must be produced by healthy practices. If those who shout Bharat Mata Ki Jai at the top of their voice cannibalise on her, will this not defile the slogan itself?
ReplyDeleteVery nice documentation rvr
ReplyDeleteCongrats
Jnu has become a gutter wherefrom these insects come out
Hindu junior vikatan anantha vikatan nakeeran are fans of anti nationalists and you ll agree if you watch the tone and tenor of their echos on these issues.
Well explained and expressed. I think the time has come to do away with the tag 'Hindu'/'Hinduism',because there is no such term in Vedic scriptures, The Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Gita, the Bhagbat or,the Puranas. It is a term which originated in the lips of some invaders, who couldn't pronounce Sindhu (the river) correctly. And slowly,the name of the land became Hindusthan. But the Vedic Scriptures and religious practices are much older than such invasions, and, such nomenclature of our land. We can sing, Sarey jahan sey achchha, Hindustan hamara, ...but let us not claim to be Hindus by religion. In fact, every citizen of Hindustan is a Hindu by definition, not by his or her individual religious practices!
ReplyDeleteI do not like Owaisi, and I most certainly do not like his language. But I cannot fault him (or the MLA suspended from the Maharashtra assembly)for refusing to chant "Bharat Mata ki Jai" on demand. They did say that they that they had no problem with "Jai Hind," which I, personally, also think is the better slogan. Whatever the slogan, it must come from the heart. And, more importantly, it must be through your actions that must show your love for the country.
ReplyDeleteNow Deoband has passed a fatwa that Moslems can not say Bharat Mata Ki Jai. What is your take on this?
ReplyDeleteA nice commentary on the way Bharat Mata ki jai has come into our lexicon.
ReplyDeleteBut does mouthing a sentence constitute 'Nationalism'? And who has given the BJP/RSS the prerogative to decide what we should chant ?
The Constitution is certainly not the be all and end all of what makes this great country. It is the spirit of what we do and say.The Constitution was meant to be a pathway. How we explore and how we find our way to greater glory is what these politicians should want us to do....show us the way. we have chosen them to represent us. But what we are seeing is their narrow and dead end pathways of trying to lead us.
What should be the main platform is how to end poverty, crime and terrorism. Not waste their time in Parliament and Assemblies in throwing elected reps out.
ReplyDeleteசுழட்டோஜி
(இந்தக் கதையில் வரும் பாத்திரங்கள் நிகழ்ச்சிகள் அனைத்தும் கற்பனையே. அரசியல் கொள்கை சார்புடனோ, யாரையும் புண்படுத்தும் நோக்கத்துடனோ எழுதப்படவில்லை.)
கல்யாணசுந்தரம் என் கல்லூரி நண்பன். சுழல்பந்து வீச்சாளன். அந்தத்திறமைக்காகவே ”சுழட்டோஜி” என்ற பட்டப்பெயர் பெற்றிருந்தான். அந்த நாளிலேயே அவ்னுக்கு அரசியலில் ஈடுபாடு அதிகம். கல்லூரியை விட்டு வெளியேறி முழு நேர அரசியலில் ஈடுபட்ட பிறகும் வித்தியாசமாக இருக்கட்டும் என்பதற்காகவோ என்னவோ அந்தப்பெயரையே சூட்டிக்கொண்டான். அக்கப்போர் பத்திரிகைகள் அனைத்திலும் சுழட்டோஜியின் பெயர் இடம்பெறாமல் இருக்காது. சிலசமயம் இந்துவிலும் அவனைப்பற்றிய செய்தி வரும். அவனைப் பற்றிய தகவல்களை அறிந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறேனே தவிர, கல்லூரியை விட்டதன் பிறகு அவனை அதிகம் சந்திக்கவில்லை.
நேற்று மாலை அவனைப் பற்றிய செய்தி ஒன்று என் கவனத்துக்கு வந்தது. ஏதோ ஒரு சேனலில் கலந்துரையாடல். நாலு பெரும் ஏக காலத்தில் சேர்ந்தாற்போல் கத்துவார்களே, நெறியாளர் கூட யாரையும் இரண்டு வார்த்தைக்கு மேல் பேச விடாமல் குறுக்கே குறுக்கே பேசுவாரே அந்த நிகழ்ச்சி. சுழட்டோஜி,அறிக்கை விட்டானாம் .வந்தே மாதரம்,பாரத்மாதா கீ ஜே” என்றெல்லாம் சொல்ல மறுப்பவர்களை நாடு கடத்த வேண்டுமாம். இது பற்றித்தான் விவாதம்.
இன்றூ மாலை எனக்கு வேலை ஒன்றுமில்லை. பொழுது போகாததற்கு சுழட்டோஜியைப் பார்த்து இது பற்றி விவாதிக்கலாம் என்று போனேன்.. வழக்கமான வரவேற்பு, முகமனுக்குப் பிறகு தொடங்கினேன். ”கல்யாண்! உன் பேச்சு ஏற்புடையதில்லை. அவர்கள் மதக்கொள்கை இறைவனைத் தவிர மற்ற யாரையும் வணங்குவதைத் தடை செய்தால், நாம் ஏன் அவர்கள் மத சுதந்திரத்தில் த்லையிட வேண்டும்? அப்படியே வற்புறுத்தி கோஷம் போட வைத்தால், உண்மையிலேயே அவர்களுக்கு நாட்டுப்பற்று இல்லை என்றால் மாறி விடப்போகிறார்களா? ஏன் வெறுப்பை வளர்க்க வேண்டும்? “
என்னை ஏளனமாகப் பார்த்தான் கல்யாண்.”இப்படித்தான் உன்னைப்போல ஆட்களை மூளைச் சலவை செய்கிறார்கள்...” என்று பேச ஆரம்பித்தான். அதற்குள் அவன் செல் போன் ஒலித்தது.
“”அப்படியா? நீங்க பார்த்துக்குங்க! எனக்கு இரண்டுநாள் மாநாடு இருக்கு! நாளன்னிக்கு வந்துடறேன்!”
“..............”
“ அப்படிஎல்லாம் ஒண்ணும் ஆகாதுங்க! அப்படி ஆச்சுன்னா நீங்களே பாத்துக்குங்க! பணத்தை நான் அனுப்பிச்சுடறேன்”
போனை டக்கென்று வைத்தான்.
“என்ன கல்யாண்?” என்று கவலையுடன் கேட்டேன்.
“ஒண்ணுமில்லெ. எங்க அம்மாவுக்கு உடம்பு சரியில்லையாம்..”
“எங்கே இருக்காங்க?”
“திருநின்றவூர் பக்கத்திலே ஒரு முதியோர் இல்லத்திலே”
கல்யாண் பேச்சைத் தொடர ஆரம்பித்தான். “அப்புறம் வரேன்” என்று கிளம்பி விட்டேன்.
தாயையே வீடு கடத்தி விட்டான். தாய்நாட்டை வணங்காதவர்களை நாடு கடத்த வேண்டுமாம்!
சே!
”
You have made a nice point about whether we should also reject Mahatma Gandhi as the Father of the Nation, especially as the Father is holy to the Christians! Nationalism requires emotional attachment to the 'motherland' (sic), which has to come from within. If one doesn't have that aching for the country as we have for our mother, then it's a pity.
ReplyDeleteVery incisive article. Wonder if Owasisi has a sense of belonging at all.
ReplyDelete