I write this post when my country is in shambles politically. I write this post also when I am reading Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. And I write this post just after our 65th Independence day. Each one of these things has a very big connection among themselves. Right now in India, we witnessed a peculiar sight, of thousands of people from north-eastern origin, living in cities like Bangaluru, Pune and Mumbai piling on, in trains to their respective states, running away due to threats that their life is in danger. On governance front, we received 3 reports from Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, directly accusing central government for scams worth several lakhs of crores. On economical front, we have policy paralysis and several hundreds of kilometers of red tape that is virtually killing the roaring monster that our economy had become. Among all this we have yoga cum spiritual cum religious gurus planning to bring social revolutions, chanting pre-independence hymns. Our so called civil society which is mostly surviving on the support of our divergent and tumultuous middle class, has now turned political society. Social movements have been stifled by infighting among the leaders of such movements. The opposition parties are surprisingly now sitting in parliament, accusing government of all the ill things such as corruption and policy matters, fail to provide a single concrete solution. Right from Gujarat to Bihar everyone wants to be the Prime Minister, but what after that? The absence of constructive opposition haunts us. In whose hands are we safe? Have we got no good parent? When would this child of a nation (yes, a child and that too in many ways, I will tell you how) grow up? This is where Midnight's Children makes its presence felt and makes me realize somethings.
The first that dawns on me, not entirely by reading the book, is that our country never grew up. There were signs, like in any child's life, that it is growing up, when he or she says things that are noble, just out of innocence. Can we just say that the economic growth of the last 7 years was that period only? Just out of innocence this child did some things right and now again the country has settled back to its childish behavior. To create a fear of life in the mind of innocent and closely knit community that originate from a particular area in our country only having slightly different features than the rest of the country, so that they leave their only way to earn their daily bread and run away, is this not childish? Just as a bully creates a fear among its mates so that they fear them? Just as these bullies, do the same so as to cover its own insecurities, are these "terrorists" the same? Well, sadly this is not a new thing. These terrorizing stunts are played time to time in our country with the same shamelessness. Which makes me realize another thing that I will shortly tell you. These incidents happened just 1 day after our 65th Independence day, which is an irony in itself. Who is independent in this country? The people from north-east are surely not. The women are also not independent and they are often at the receiving end of the mischiefs of this child. They are unsafe when they are out till late in the night because of some germs that crawl on the body of this child. They are not independent and unsafe because of those pigs that shat day and night in the police stations, who later blame the women for violating the "culture" of India. The culture is surely to be blamed. It just couldn't prevent such impotent thugs from becoming its own protectors. The culture is surely to be blamed for letting itself get corrupted by the corrupted. Or rather the country has grown up but without any maturity. Would that be the case, then why is our culture so impotent? Lets settle on the child theory then. During the course of me writing this article, some latest developments have come suggesting that the threatening text messages came from Pakistan. This might be true or it might be the same secure cover that our government takes - "The Foreign Hand". Even if this is true, does that invalidates all that I have written? Surely no. And on the other hand, Pakistan is another child, a younger and much more mischievous one.
Most of us will cheer when some yogi baba yells from the podium that the situation has become the same as it was before independence, that too a day before independence (another irony). I say it is the complete opposite. The situation now reflects the phase just after independence. All of read what happened before independence in our history lessons in school. Only some of us know what was actual ground reality just after the independence. It was also unknown to me till I read the aforementioned book. Just our independence there was joy, just like the phase 2 years back when our economy was booming. People were dying in Kashmir and Punjab just like our farmers were dying in 2009 but there still was optimism. After all we were entitled to deceptive package called freedom. The deception became evident when people started language marches which eventually lead to formation of our states on the basis of language they spoke. Malyalis were given the state of Kerela, Kannadis the state of Karnataka, the state of Bombay was split into Gujarati and Marathi speaking populations by the name of Gujarat and Maharashtra after almost a year of riots by the language marchers. With this lots of regional parties came into picture like DMK, Communist Party etc just like now, the BSPs and the Trinamool Congresses. Slowly but surely the optimism left the people and it dawned on them that freedom could never be achieved in India. The situation in Assam where the riots took place a few days back were on the same lines, not religion but fanaticism. The insider versus outsider or so we are to believe. With this we also know that nothing outside-ish happens without some help from inside. There is fear among the north eastern society that resembles the fear in the minds of Muslims just after independence (which still exists).
I would be a nonconstructive opposition if I give no solution. And in my first metaphorically political article, I shall leave no stone unturned or it should be my aim. But I am unable to. The solution to the situation of India is as complex as the problem itself. One thing is for sure, we have to change the whole attitude towards each other or between different societies and genders, but how do we do that? We are covered in multitudes of filth that is like energy, cannot be destroyed or formed but transferred from one form to another! The solution is making that child grow up. How is the question that has been unanswered from 65 years. In Midnight's Children the protagonist is born on the midnight of 15th August 1947 and he is somehow connected to the nation. As, he grows up, the same way the nation grows. But at least in the book the nation grows up. All I can see here is retarded growth with serious disorders. Obviously ignoring the 3000 year old history of this nation, which is another irony.
The first that dawns on me, not entirely by reading the book, is that our country never grew up. There were signs, like in any child's life, that it is growing up, when he or she says things that are noble, just out of innocence. Can we just say that the economic growth of the last 7 years was that period only? Just out of innocence this child did some things right and now again the country has settled back to its childish behavior. To create a fear of life in the mind of innocent and closely knit community that originate from a particular area in our country only having slightly different features than the rest of the country, so that they leave their only way to earn their daily bread and run away, is this not childish? Just as a bully creates a fear among its mates so that they fear them? Just as these bullies, do the same so as to cover its own insecurities, are these "terrorists" the same? Well, sadly this is not a new thing. These terrorizing stunts are played time to time in our country with the same shamelessness. Which makes me realize another thing that I will shortly tell you. These incidents happened just 1 day after our 65th Independence day, which is an irony in itself. Who is independent in this country? The people from north-east are surely not. The women are also not independent and they are often at the receiving end of the mischiefs of this child. They are unsafe when they are out till late in the night because of some germs that crawl on the body of this child. They are not independent and unsafe because of those pigs that shat day and night in the police stations, who later blame the women for violating the "culture" of India. The culture is surely to be blamed. It just couldn't prevent such impotent thugs from becoming its own protectors. The culture is surely to be blamed for letting itself get corrupted by the corrupted. Or rather the country has grown up but without any maturity. Would that be the case, then why is our culture so impotent? Lets settle on the child theory then. During the course of me writing this article, some latest developments have come suggesting that the threatening text messages came from Pakistan. This might be true or it might be the same secure cover that our government takes - "The Foreign Hand". Even if this is true, does that invalidates all that I have written? Surely no. And on the other hand, Pakistan is another child, a younger and much more mischievous one.
Most of us will cheer when some yogi baba yells from the podium that the situation has become the same as it was before independence, that too a day before independence (another irony). I say it is the complete opposite. The situation now reflects the phase just after independence. All of read what happened before independence in our history lessons in school. Only some of us know what was actual ground reality just after the independence. It was also unknown to me till I read the aforementioned book. Just our independence there was joy, just like the phase 2 years back when our economy was booming. People were dying in Kashmir and Punjab just like our farmers were dying in 2009 but there still was optimism. After all we were entitled to deceptive package called freedom. The deception became evident when people started language marches which eventually lead to formation of our states on the basis of language they spoke. Malyalis were given the state of Kerela, Kannadis the state of Karnataka, the state of Bombay was split into Gujarati and Marathi speaking populations by the name of Gujarat and Maharashtra after almost a year of riots by the language marchers. With this lots of regional parties came into picture like DMK, Communist Party etc just like now, the BSPs and the Trinamool Congresses. Slowly but surely the optimism left the people and it dawned on them that freedom could never be achieved in India. The situation in Assam where the riots took place a few days back were on the same lines, not religion but fanaticism. The insider versus outsider or so we are to believe. With this we also know that nothing outside-ish happens without some help from inside. There is fear among the north eastern society that resembles the fear in the minds of Muslims just after independence (which still exists).
I would be a nonconstructive opposition if I give no solution. And in my first metaphorically political article, I shall leave no stone unturned or it should be my aim. But I am unable to. The solution to the situation of India is as complex as the problem itself. One thing is for sure, we have to change the whole attitude towards each other or between different societies and genders, but how do we do that? We are covered in multitudes of filth that is like energy, cannot be destroyed or formed but transferred from one form to another! The solution is making that child grow up. How is the question that has been unanswered from 65 years. In Midnight's Children the protagonist is born on the midnight of 15th August 1947 and he is somehow connected to the nation. As, he grows up, the same way the nation grows. But at least in the book the nation grows up. All I can see here is retarded growth with serious disorders. Obviously ignoring the 3000 year old history of this nation, which is another irony.
4 comments:
Well now this is a great deed! I just want to read it to more people. You are more updated and most of the fronts there are similarities of thoughts. Keep writing bro!
Thanks Deepak. I would also like everyone who reads this to present a solution to a problem. Maybe there is something practical that comes out of it.
Clear depiction of all major ailments in a very subtle way... wish someday the great minds will be able to device the solutions too...
PS: I can see a child getting mature... Good work ;-)
Under the great shade of anonymity, i thank you ;)
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