Nationalism and Anti-nationalism

Nationalism and Anti-nationalism

Here is the thing.

I am not a liberal, or a conservative, or a leftist, or a rightist.

I am not even a centrist, not really.

I have been accused of having ‘my feet in two boats’ on social issues.

I will have feet in ten boats, in fifty boats, or a hundred boats.

Why ?

Because expecting people to have cut-and-dried views about everything is profoundly stupid. And yes, I myself have made this error from time to time.

I believe Hindus have the right to build a magnificent temple at Ayodhya, does that make me a Right Winger?

I believe that Christianity and Islam will always be considered ‘outside’ religions, these are Abrahamic religions, their doctrines are far removed from mainstream Hinduism, I am not making a value judgement here, I am just stating whats on a lot of peoples minds. Does that make me a Right Winger?

I believe as long as the threats of violence and force are not used, Christians are within their rights to use any inducement, spiritual or material, to convert people. I do not support missionary activities, I find it disgusting that some members of my community are hawking religion like street vendors, but the constitution gives them the right to practice, profess and propagate their religion (Articles 25 through 28). Period. That is their fundamental right. Does that make me a Left winger?

I believe the UCC is long overdue and there should be specific action by the state to protect couples in intercaste/inter-religious marriages, what does that make me, I wonder?

I believe the Muslim community is long overdue for some serious self -initiated social and educational reform, triple talaq goes against basic human dignity and decency. Sir Syyed Ahmed Khan was on the right track. What went wrong?

And so on and so forth……

Now, with that rant out of the way, lets get to the meat of this question.

How exactly did Leftism/AntiNationalism become so popular in some Indian Universities especially outside WB and KL like states?

Leftism/Antinationalism became popular in these regions becasue oppressed people decided they had had enough of being treated like rubbish for no better reason than being born.

These regions have seen domination by upper castes for hundreds of years, and such domination tend to breed discontent and resentment. Leftism arose as a challenge to the status quo. Misguided or not.

And When will it die?

It is not going to die.

And it shouldn’t die.

Here’s why.

A significant proportion of the Hindu Right believes that they are above all moral failing. That the past was somehow ‘pristine’ and ‘pure’ and that Hindu civilization created heaven on earth.

They believe people had lifespans of hundreds of years, and that modern medical science is crap (until you get really sick, then Ayurveda suddenly loses its charm).

They believe that we had nuclear weapons and space travel based on ‘research’ found on Facebook and Whatsapp.

Sorry, but if the Right believes this nonsense, the Left has the right to be equally stupid.

India’s past was great, certainly.

If you were Brahmin, or Kshatriya, or Vaishya, or an upper caste Christian/Muslim.

Ask the Pulaya community of Kerala if the past was great, ask them if they rejoiced at the fact that their womenfolk were legally forbidden to cover their breasts in public by the higher castes.

Ask the poor low caste ‘untouchable’ devil who dared to listen to holy scripture uttered by a brahmin and got molten lead poured down his ear for his transgression.

Ask the tribal people of Bihar and Chattisgarh if the past was great.

Ask dalit parents who have seen their neighbors and children burned alive by this Sena or that Sena if the past was great, that if their ongoing nightmare is a new phenomenon.

Ask people who have to resort to manual scavenging to make a living, who cannot change their profession because no other villager will allow them anywhere near them for fear of ‘pollution’. (If you don’t know what ‘manual scavenging’ is, and happen to be a ‘Hindu Nationalist’ SHAME ON YOU).

What the Right calls ‘nationalism’ is little different from ‘narcissism’.

When I see and hear the things Right Wing nationalists say and do, I am reminded of parents who keep defending every stupid, malicious and selfish act committed by their ladla/ladlee against all evidence to the contrary. Your child has problems, stop pretending she/he doesn’t.

They are no different in spirit form Islamic extremists, they are just not as militant(yet).

Yes, Islamic extremism is a serious existential threat to our country, to our pruralism, to our sense of Indianness.

This guy, is not your friend, or mine.

This guy is no picnic either….

Don’t let the glasses fool you, but do keep some popcorn handy every time he talks about Hinduism, the comedy is priceless. Professional comedians cannot hope to achieve such levels of wilful stupidity.

Want to know what else is a threat?

This

and this

and this

Don’t you dare tell me I should not fear for my community when these rabid thrishul wielders run amuck, and talk about inflicting their particular brand of ‘historical justice’ on ‘foreigners’.

There have been countries, and still are countries, where no one is ever ‘anti-national’.

Countries like North Korea.

Like Saudi Arabia.

Like Idi Amin’s Uganda.

Notice a trend here?

There are no anti-nationals, because they all disappear, in North Korea, your family disappears with you.

Ask yourself, is that the kind of India you want to live in? A place where anyone who has a contrary opinion to the majority gets classified as ‘an enemy of the people’, ‘foreign interloper’ or gods forbid ‘cultural and religious threat’?

Freedom of speech is a two edged sword. The more we qualify it with restrictions and special considerations, the more diluted it becomes.

What those students said within the JNU campus was shameful.

Almost as shameful, as the actions committed by the lawyers who beat them up, behaving exactly like street thugs.

Is this the standard we expect from our judiciary?

Is this the quality of our democracy?

Just a thought.

Feel free to disagree.

The Constitution gives you that right.

Editor: Vikkas Sharma