A Strong India can live with pride

The new terror outfit ISIS in Iraq and Syria has put India on its radar with an objective of creating a global Islamic Sunni state. The New York Time reporter, Carlotta Gall in her book “The wrong enemy; America in Afghanistan, 2001-2014” explained how the internal radicalizing of the young people by increasing number of preachers or proselytizing groups arriving from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Middle East pose a threat to the Asian countries. US in its war against terror has created more problems for India. It hired Pakistan intelligence services and in return gave Pakistan billions of dollars and advanced weapons much to the disadvantage of India. C. Christine Fair, Assistant Professor of Centre for Peace and Security Studies in the United States in her book “Fighting to the end” noted Pakistan has already churned out $ 30 billion from US in supporting US war against terrorism in Afghanistan. India’s security problem aggravates due to its lack of well thought out border policy in the past decades. When the undercover capitalist and dictatorial China was building motorable roads and Railway lines close to India’s border in order to facilitate faster troop movement, Indian leaders were sleeping for decades like the mythical Kumbhakarna. Insurgency has seriously infested North East India. The worst is the red corridor which continues to bleed the nation.

In fact, terrorism of any kind seriously damages livelihood, creates trust deficit, ruins family life, triggers migration, affects social and cultural life and leaves behind orphans and widows in the streets. Terrorism bleeds the economy of nations. Jammu Kashmir, the Maoist infested tribal belt and the north East India have immense economic potential which can let people lead a happy and prosperous family life. But the terrorist ideologues always succeed in planting imaginary enemies in the minds of innocent people and persuade them to fight. It has ruined agriculture, forestry, handicraft and tourism sector in the terrorist infested districts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly said terrorism has so far given nothing to people and people should change their path for peace like Samrat Ashok who embraced Budhism after a bloody Kalinga war.

India should look for permanent solution to strengthen its security. Swami Vivekananda whose life was mysteriously cut short at 39 said it is good to have a giant’s strength but to use it in giant’s way is bad. India needs to work quietly to acquire giant’s strength for its own safety. There are simple ways to build an economically, physically and morally strong nation. Instead of branding people poor and backward, we must understand their potential to become rich amid good governance. There are millions of artisans in the North East India, in the maoist infested tribal districts of Chhattishgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and in Kashmir who add high value to simple organic material with their skill and imagination. When artisans from Ladakh and Kashmir make pashmina shawl from goat wool, the percentage of value addition is higher than any industrial product. Similarly, the artisans across the country create bewitching artistry on wood, clay, silver and brass etc. If they do not get the profit they deserve after contributing creatively for long hours there is something seriously wrong in the governance mechanism. If the Union Government makes a dedicated investigation to know the end result of various development schemes in the tribal belt, the root cause of poverty will come to light. While treating the red corridor with arms and ammunition there is need to punish the looters of the development fund with ruthless accuracy. The scope of building an Indian tribal regiment with the young tribal from the maoist infested districts should be explored. The tribal are strong, intelligent and swift who can be recruited in army. This could channel tribal energy for more constructive purpose.

Serious problem like change in demographic composition happens due to the weakening of faith among the Hindu community. The prata arati (morning puja) has been stopped in many temples. It should start in every temple across the country at a particular time in the morning not as a display of strength but as true devotion to god. People who think they love Hinduism must take an oath to keep the temples clean and make it free from nuisance. There are so many Hindu sheers who talk in multiple voices and does little to reform Hinduism. There are thousands of temples across the country which are nonperforming assets from religious point of view. Those temples can be used as center of learnings and for inculcating finer emotions like love, sympathy and moral courage among people. Unless the well to do Hindus learn to treat the poor and underprivileged people with compassion the ghost of religious conversion will continue to haunt India. Thousands of people in Orissa and Bengal embraced Christianity in order to escape hunger in the world’s worst man made famine of 1943. It is the vulnerable people who pass through series of humiliation to change their religious faith the way it happens to the Negros in USA and in African countries. So a strong India can be built on the pillar of compassion and fellow feelings.

India has to discover a cultural thread to be together again. The language Sanskrit has immense potential to cement north south divide. A simpler version of Sanskrit can be the alternative national language as people in South love to accept Sanskrit instead of Hindi. Over the years, the Sanskrit scholars have become extinct in India. Interestingly, 25 universities in Germany teach Sanskrit as a subject and Germany has produced more Sanskrit scholars and published more books in Sanskrit than India in the last two decades. It is believed, ancient Sanskrit manuscripts have given clue to modern scientific discovery in Germany.

Uniform CBSE syllabus in schools across the country can create one India feeling. After 68 years of Independence the nation has not so far introduced single syllabus in its schools. Sports create brotherhood among people. Look at our national sport hockey which is being played in two three cities only. Playgrounds are encroached by real estate giants for building shopping malls and housing complexes. There is need for a public playground for every 5000 people. Residents should be asked whether they want a shopping mall or a community hall as it happens in many European nations. We cannot build a strong youth force unless we popularize low cost indigenous games. Our poor show in Olympic exposes our lack of strength, stamina, discipline, dedication and above all; a sound sports policy.

A strong nation is always built upon a healthy nationalism only. In 1882, the French philosopher Ernst Renan outlined his understanding of what makes a nation in his famous essay entitled ‘Qu’est-ce qu’une nation?’ (‘What is a Nation?’). Renan said a nation is the culmination of a long past of endeavors, sacrifice and devotion. A heroic past, great men, glory, that is the social capital upon which one bases a national idea. To have common glories in the past, to have a common will in the present, to have performed great deeds together, to wish to perform still more, these are the essential conditions of being a people. The existence of a nation is a guarantee of liberty, which would be lost if the world had only one law and only one master.’ Indians have to work dedicatedly for minimum 20 years to salvage its priceless social capital. Today developed nations do not hesitate to misuse their intellectual capital to serve their business interest. Global trade is full of traps and opportunities. Political leaders with intellectual capital can distinguish opportunity from global traps. This is high time to build a strong India with love and compassion but without compromise with national interest.

By Sudhansu R Das