Products of a failed national system

There are many Gurmehar Kaurs in university campuses across India. This young woman is only a representative sample of a select section of young people, who are products of a failed education, parenting and social support system of a 70-year independent India. Attacking her doesn’t solve anything, even reacting to her doesn’t.

Young people like her clearly reflect the collective social outcomes of a nation, which has never proactively designed its national identity and national values. The issue is much larger, it’s national. It’s a legacy issue of this country. No thanks to the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru; Republic of India has been ‘a nation by default, not by design,’ especially in reference to lack of pro active ‘Nation Building’.

If one builds a new nation after almost 500 years of structured colonial slavery starting from 1500s by Portuguese & all the way to the British leaving it as a 3-piece broken nation in 1947, should there be a proactive and collective national exercise called ‘Nation Building’? Did it ever happen in India throughout the historic timeline & a fallacy of democratically elected dynastic governments, led or controlled by mostly the Nehru family ? It did not.

Fortunately for USA, with its great national leaders and their vision, it attained freedom from the British on the 4th July 1776. The seven founding fathers of that nation rebuilt the national identity, national values and unique national system by design. No wonder, USA today stands tall, strong and unique in its national identity and values in the comity of world nations.

Whether their values are great or not is another debate, but USA is unquestionably a nation with unique set of national values, national identity, and it stands up to practise, protect and defend these values at all costs. It has weeded out everything ‘British’ out of their national system to ensure its own unique national identity. If there’s one nation which has proactively designed its destiny through a proactive nation-building exercise, USA is a glowing example in the world. They have protected this unique legacy for over the last 246 years since independence.

In stark contrast to USA, India after attaining independence from the British on August 15th 1947 has literally done nothing on those lines. Nehru and his dynastic descendents continued the colonial systems across the spectrum of administration of the new nation. They seem to neither have vision, competence nor political will to make these massive national changes to drive unique national identity. India cannot boast of its founding fathers, as we had none structurally, who can be credited for nation-building.

If there’s nothing uniquely national about this young nation that the national leaders over the last 3 generations have driven, how would anyone expect this generation to naturally be nationalist and patriotic? What’s unique about our Indian national identity? What’s unique about our national values? What’s unique about an average Indian? These are not very easy questions to answer.

One can understand, if this were an aberration or sheer incompetence or even ignorance of Nehruvian rulers. However, the history and the decisions by successive Indian governments led by Nehru’s clan establish the fact that the inaction and lack of initiatives to build a unique and singular national identity is purely by design and politically motivated for electoral expediency.

Nehru and his family understand unity builds national strength but division builds political power. They clearly chose political power and continuity over national unity and integrity – it’s evident from their six decades of misgovernance in all spheres. This nation has been tailored, designed, built and destined to be divided, like we see today.

Only a vertically and horizontally divided India suits the type of politics practised by the Congress Party. The divisive politics. It’s a no brainer that’s why India stayed this way. The help of Left party comrades for the last 70 years came handy for Congress to keep this country well divided.

Today, if nationalist Indians understand this historic analysis, they will not be surprised of this shocking display of anti-nationalism by young people, very conveniently masked as freedom of expression. It comes naturally to these groups raised and indoctrinated with consistent inputs of power of diversity and hate, rather than unity and strength.

One must empathise with these young people, instead of fighting them. As these folks are going nowhere in their lives – both personally and professionally – with what they have allowed themselves to become. As adults, they must make choices. They must have discretion and not get carried away by hate politics against their own nation. Even bare common sense can empower someone with this discretion, to judge good or bad in reference to abusing one’s own nation.

Freedom of expression is not exclusive. It does not multiply and compound with gender, family background, caste, religion, age or even socio-economic situation. But that seems to be the conclusive argument by these folks. Selective and exclusive freedom of expression for those who promote hatred against the nation.

Freedom of expression is a constitutional right of every citizen of this nation. Can one abuse another’s mother exercising this right? Can one abuse one’s own mother exercising this right? Is it exercising discretion? Can it be done by a young woman, through a juvenile display of placards on social networking invoking and legitimising her expression through her military family background? If it’s done, how’s it wrong if many express in return through the same medium, exercising their own right to expression? If there is, the abuse is certainly wrong, violent threats are certainly wrong, however any other form of expression is clearly a natural recourse.

What you sow is what you reap. Even Newton has established that scientifically. One cannot expect not to face consequences for one’s massive and controversial expression; in fact there will be equal or even larger reaction as a consequence. Terming that as an attack on one’s freedom of expression is juvenility, self pity, escapism and lack of ownership. If one is courageous, one must stand up and face the consequences of their expression.

Abusing one’s own nation, sloganeering for its disintegration, demanding divisions are from no angle within the gambit of one’s constitutional freedoms. It’s quite foolish to even imagine that a nation’s constitution will allow its own nationals to raise the demand of its dismemberment, using the fundamental rights it provides. It’s downright silly and juvenile interpretation of this provision.

There’s no confusion in defining ‘Nationalism.’ There’s no need for ‘my nationalism’ versus ‘your nationalism’ debate. World over, nationalism simply means respecting everything that represents a nation. Devoid of all imperfections, one can love their nation and do what they can, to transform it to be better. No nation on this planet is so perfect or imperfect, to be qualified for 100% love or hate.

Mature adults do respect and understand the dissent, disagreement and positive aspirations for progressive change, but it cannot be at the cost of demands for disintegration of one’s nation. Anyone has a fundamental right to support a nation he lives in, or live in a nation he supports. No one can force or hold back those who hate a nation to continue to be a citizen of that nation; they can make decisions duly to change their nationality.

That’s a discretionary choice of a real adult. However, many seem to lack. Commonsense is quite uncommon these days. Congress and Left parties seem to either lack meat to understand the simple definition of nationalism or they are too prejudiced and poisoned to accept it.

In conclusion, when a dog bites, one doesn’t need to bite it back. It is by one’s nature and nurture, some hate and some love. An individual’s expression is a true reflection of a healthy or an unhealthy mind. Fortunately, this nation has what it takes to move ahead despite these distractions.

It’s time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute a cohesive group of great individuals to initiate a proactive nation-building exercise with well-defined and empowering national values for unique national identity and pride of being an Indian. (Writer is a BJP spokesperson, organisational strategist & an author)

By Krishna Saagar Rao