Imagine; we
used to call that ‘colonialism’. But obviously we were
wrong. Gandhiji and all those who fought for
‘Independence’ along with him had it wrong all the time.
We were not enslaved at all. What a waste of time and
energy!! And on top of it Jawaharlal inflicted the
non-aligned theory on us. Not that we were all that
non-aligned at that time. But we did support freedom
movements in Palestine and South Africa. But then we did
not realize the value of friendship with Israel, did we?
Today we do. After all trust an Indian to recognize a
bargain. And South Africa became free conveniently on
its own so today we don’t have to decide whether or not
to support apartheid in yet another form.
But then
what is the real value of sovereignty? After all Puerto
Rico by itself is distinguished only by a name that is
difficult to spell. But as a willing vassal of the
United States, Puerto Ricans don’t even need a visa to
go to the US. Now ask all those who stand in serpentine
queues outside US Embassies having camped there on the
street the previous night if they wouldn’t like that?
And to do that if we have to make our nuclear program
subservient to the US and to say that Iran is not our
friend, so what? Who likes the Iranians anyway?
So why do
we object to the Prime Minister telling lies? Maybe he
is exercising his freedom of expression. After all we
insist that Tasleema Nasreen must not be denied her
right to freedom of expression. So what if she distorts
facts. So what if she maligns people. So what if she
tries to make sordid all that is sublime. It is her
right to freedom of expression. So why must Manmohan be
denied his right? The only problem seems to be that
nobody in Parliament thought of throwing flowers at him
when he was speaking. Or maybe they don’t keep bouquets
handy as they did in the Press Club in Hyderabad.
Lies don’t
change the truth. Lies don’t change facts. Reality does
not change because we refuse to believe it. Reality is
that which exists even if nobody wants to accept it. And
reality bites. It bites very hard. The first thing that
a doomed nation loses is the ability to read the writing
on the wall. I wonder if we have reached that stage yet.
All effects have causes. All actions have consequences.
We are free to choose but no choice is ever free. I
remind myself of these things because at the end of 60
years we are looking at a changed nation. We are looking
at a nation that is no longer what we dreamt of.
A nation is
exemplified by its leaders. There was a time when our
leaders were Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Maulana Abul
Kalaam Azaad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan,
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Dr. Mohammad Iqbal, Hakim Ajmal
Khan, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and
many others. There was a time when our leaders stood for
causes. There was a time when our Administrative
Services were filled with people who stood out for their
adherence to principles of integrity. There was a time
when our Judiciary was respected because believe it or
not, it stood for justice.
(Ref:
Muslim Freedom Fighters of India/edited by S. Ganjoo.
New Delhi, ISBN 81-261-1281-6.)
A nation is
exemplified by its legends and the stories that parents
and grandparents tell their children in their homes. A
nation is exemplified by the values that are passed on
to children by their elders. The fabric of a nation is
woven in the homes in the villages and towns. What were
these stories? My grandfather did not buy a new shirt
for 5 years because he used all his savings to send my
father to medical school. My great-grandfather was a
police officer who did not have enough money sometimes
to feed his family because he refused to take bribes.
And one day he was suspended because a prisoner that was
being transported from Kurnool to Hyderabad by two of
his constables, escaped. My great-grandfather who was a
DSP was suspended and demoted to Head Constable as he
was the superior officer. Did he fight the punishment?
Did he resign in protest? No. When he was asked why he
said, “When you accept authority, you also accept the
fact that you will be responsible not only for your own
actions but also for the actions of those who work under
you. If my subordinates had done well, I would have got
the credit for that. So why should I complain if I get
the blame for their mistake?”
We learnt
to respect our elders, teachers and scholars on the
basis of their knowledge as we realized the value of
that learning. So we spent time in their company. We
didn’t care if they were rich or poor. That was not a
criterion to judge anyone. Contribution to society was.
JRD Tata said that the only time his father hit him was
when as a small child, he said to his nanny, “I can say
anything I want to you because you are poor and I am
rich.” My teachers were Rai Mahboob Narayan, Kuruvilla
Jacob, Mohini Rajan, Venkat Rama Reddy and Nawab Nazir
Yar Jung. None of them formally my teachers in a
‘school’ sense, but my elders who were also my friends
and from whom I learnt how to live. My ‘teachers’ were
also those I read, Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (many
books), Nani Palkiwala (We the People), JRD Tata (Beyond
the Last Blue Mountain), Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged and
others), J. Krishnamurthy, Mahatma Gandhi (My
Experiments with Truth). There were many others but I
think my point is made.
Today I
would like to ask my young friends, ‘Who are the people
in whose company you spend time? What do you learn from
them? What values do they impart to you? What do you
read other than your curriculum? What questions do you
ask? Who do you ask?’
When the
leaders of a nation change, it indicates that the nation
has changed. Leaders after all come from the people. At
least in a democracy. Even a malfunctioning one like
ours. Today we are a nation whose leaders are the likes
of Vajpayee, Advani, Narender Modi, Manmohan Singh,
Jayalalitha…need I name more? Today we are a nation
which thanks to its ‘development’ and ‘liberation’ has
embraced Western values with such gusto that elders have
become the symbols of backwardness. Their knowledge and
experience of no value because they can’t operate cell
phones or send email. Teachers are useless and not
worthy of respect because they are poor.
Money is
the sole criterion for all value including of ourselves.
So we try constantly to show how ‘successful’ we are by
showing how wasteful we can be. Contribution to society
is not even in the reckoning any more. Sure, some of us,
especially the new entrepreneurs are looking at ways to
contribute. But in the same breath we idolize those who
have institutionalized corruption in the land to such an
extent that they actually have entire departments in
their companies specifically dedicated for this purpose.
We are a nation today where when 3000 innocent civilians
were slaughtered in Gujarat, aided and abetted by the
very government which they had elected, not one single
industry head either raised his voice against it nor did
he or she offer any aid to the victims who survived the
heinous crimes committed against them,. Can you imagine
this happening if Sardar Vallabhai Patel had been the
Chief Minister of Gujarat?
We are
today a nation where corruption in the Judiciary is
called ‘Speed Money’ and is justified in that delay in
project implementation would cost more. We are today a
nation where murder by the state is called ‘Encounter
Killing’ and the murderers are glorified by the name
‘Encounter Specialist’. We are today a nation where
corruption is justified as a ‘reality’ that we have to
face. By that we mean ‘accept’. After all, to fight
corruption one would also have to face it, wouldn’t one?
But that is not what we mean when we use the word
‘face’. We are today a nation where even lip service to
poverty eradication is not fashionable any more. Instead
even our communist party is killing farmers whose lands
are sought to be ‘annexed’ to create walled fortresses
called ‘SEZ’ for rich industrialists. Money talks. And
nowhere does it talk louder than in India. For on this
band wagon one can see some strange companions. Together
are people who at one time ran organizations that were
the symbols of corporate integrity and responsibility
along with those who always stood for the axiom that
‘charity begins at home, so what’s good for me is good
for the nation.’
That we
have changed is a fact. But do we want to remain the way
we are? That is the question.
I believe
the time has come for all Indians who are serious about
ensuring that we remain an independent nation, free to
govern ourselves in a way that is good for our country,
be a responsible global citizen and take decisions
internally that are good for the vast majority of our
population that still can’t afford two square meals a
day 60 years after political independence, need to take
charge of our lives. We need to call meetings locally
and nationally and debate what is going on. We need to
face facts. We need to stop denying what is happening
before our eyes. If we don’t want to be sold into
slavery once again, we need to stop it. If we don’t want
to become victims of random violence we have to address
poverty. If we want to emerge from ignorance we have to
focus on quality education. If we want the rule of law
then we have to vote on principles, not caste. If we
want progress we have to value people of knowledge, not
only people who have money. There are serious issues
that face our nation. Issues that will decide our fate
for the next several generations.
It is our
responsibility to decide what to do about these issues.
Future generations will hold us accountable.
For
comments:
yawarbaig@gmail.com
