The True Spirit of the Nation

The True Spirit of the Nation
by Ashok Kumar

Six years into the twenty first century, and from here on, every child that is born in this beautiful country, isn't going to be very aware of the true essence of the thinking behind the principles that laid the spirit of India. Centuries have gone past and it is becoming hard to trace down in the history books, the reason behind the poverty this country is plagued with and the social evils that are still prevalent. It is hard to imagine that this nation is dominated by hypocrites and also ruled by them to a certain extent. All these problems raise one question, very loud and clear. Was India ever meant to be one nation? Was it ever supposed to collaborate with diversified cultures and languages and form a confederation in the process? A confederation that has embarked the tag of a 'secular nation' in the form of its constitution. The history of this nation is way too complicated for a historian to study and conclude facts. There is the theory that the Aryans, who were the original inhabitants of Arabia and modern day Gulf countries, invaded the nation a good 5000 years ago and started to rule the nation. In the meanwhile, the original Indians, the Dravidians, migrated to the South in search of food and shelter, after their mistreatment at the hands of the Aryan cult. Hence, the nation was virtually divided into two halves, 'Uttar Bharat' - Northern India, and 'Dakshina Bharat' - Southern India. The east and west were inhabited by either the already prevalent tribal sects, or the Aryans and Dravidians that started to settle down in these regions. This ancient period in history marked the birth of imperialism in the world to some extent, and the successful invasion carried out by the Aryans sent out alarm bells around the world, encouraging other nations to visit India and witness the unseen and the unheard. It is not just the wealth this nation possessed, that attracted emperors from all around the world, but it was simply the rich heritage and the lifestyle of the Indians in those days. It is very well known that the Harappan culture which prevailed in the Indus Valley gave birth to one of the first few civilizations that mankind had experienced. The Greek philosophers were obsessed with the intellectual and engineering capacity of Indians in those days, simply because, when tribal sects around the world were attempting to find new ways of building shelter, the inhabitants of the Indus Valley were treated to enhanced roads which were made out of cement, and there was a structured traffic system in place as well. Recent historians have also accumulated information about the remains of the towns during the Indus Valley Civilization, and were astonished to hear that there were very tall buildings and even bathrooms back then. A major shift in time and here we are embracing the future possibilities of a better India. So, is India a united democracy after all? There is no two ways of looking at it, other than in the books, where it says that India is one nation. The very fact that the country is vastly divided in color, language, creed, caste and even religion, lays more emphasis on the fact that it is after all a case of many different nations inhabiting one single nation. How hard it is for a person who has lived all his life in North India to come and settle down in South or vice versa without any troubles! The principles that laid spirit of this nation spoke of values such as, 'honouring guests' and 'zero tolerance to violence' and unfortunately, it is these very principles that got outsiders to take advantage of Indians and India. The fact of the matter is that we Indians have forgotten the principles that laid the true essence of this nation, and we need people like Swami Vivekananda to come to our fort and remind us of these great principles. He used to say that everyone should follow the principle of 'Karma Yoga', which simply means, 'work sincerely' - and your work will determine your consequences. He reminded all of us that the true essence of this nation was built around love, harmony, universal acceptance, and most importantly peace. The Brahmachari sitting on the top of a mountain and meditating signifies the true & humble spirit of this nation. The Upanishads imply that we should be extremely laid back in the mind, but much focused at work and love everyone around us. It also says that we all make our own choices in life, and we are responsible for each and every step we take, and the consequences are directly related to us. Here we are in the twenty first century and materialistic aspirations of man have blindsided him and made him change his principles. The challenge is retaining the true spirit of India and also enhancing the thought processes in the bargain. The principles of 'Hinduism' have been misinterpreted over the years and there has been a misconception on the part of man. The ideals of this way of life states that every person should worship his work, and live a happy and peaceful life and not harm any innocent beings. It has absolutely nothing to do with idol worship and opposing other religions. The sects inside Hinduism altered with the original spirit. It doesn't tell its followers to hate a person from another religion. It is pragmatic, scientifically advanced, and in my opinion the most 'workable' way of life in the modern world. I sometimes feel that somewhere in the evolution of modern day India, we have misinterpreted religion with nationality. Remember, even though India is the original land of the Hindus, this nation belongs to people from all religions, sects, creeds, etc. Hinduism is no more just a way of life when practiced in the 21st century. The communal wars over the years in India prove that we never understood the philosophies of our ancestors. We can no longer brag about being 'universally tolerant', because we fight with our own brothers and sisters, our countrymen. The spirit of nationalism never sucked in because of the diversities among countrymen. If we compare ourselves with the Americans, we are not that different, because they have diverse cultures and sects of people spread out, but it is a nation dominated by two political parties, one major religion and just one language. This even though there were so many anti-Nationalists in the U.S during the cold war. Today, the U.S.A is deprived of civil wars and communal wars, simply because they've realized the importance of sticking together in times of trouble. Indians on the other hand, go back to roots every now and then, to investigate and hence the differences arise. Confederations like the U.S.A and India have definitely come a long way in forming a nation. It is extremely simple for us people sitting in the twenty first century to argue Mahatma Gandhi's decision to go ahead with the partition. The great man tried to unite this nation, which was bitterly exploited, due to its biggest weakness, and that is to try and stick together as one nation. It is extremely pessimistic to say this but the formation of India was almost a 'compromise'. Let me just justify that by saying that the nation has been plagued with communal wars for the last fifty nine years, post Independence. There is the old saying of course, 'it is never too late for anything'. And that is the only attitude to carry if we want to change this nation. We have to blend the true spirit of India, i.e, zero tolerance, non-violence and love, with twenty first century aspirations and make amends. If we as a country feel that we can be extremely successful, with all the social evils prevalent, then we are only dreaming. It is good to be aggressive, I think Indians have been considered 'pushovers' for way too long now, and it is simply because we as a nation, haven't realized our capabilities. Everything that has transpired through history is just history now, and the rapid pace at which the economy is growing is just reminiscent of the fact that we are indeed a progressive nation. We have to start telling ourselves, that we don't belong to a community, or a religion, or a particular creed, but just India. Primary Education for every child who is born in this country is an absolute must, and it is the only way they'll be strong enough to face the realities of life, and very importantly the social evils. An educated child may not get offended by an abuse offered by a person who belongs to a different religion, simply because, that child would've realized that getting into that sort of a quarrel is absolutely meaningless, because some arguments never end. Let us all unconditionally accept the fact that - by law, if you born in India, you are Indian. Yes, we have to respect religious institutions, because they imparted good principles in man, but no religious institution is more important than the nation that a person is born in. More than forty percent Indians are less than the age of fifteen, and that is the most positive fact, because we as a nation are definitely changing. We are the present of this country, and there are no two ways of looking at it. It is absolutely pointless to criticize the system that runs the governmental institutions, because quite frankly we are the only ones that have to take ownership for it at the end of it all. Scooping the mentalities of conventional Indians with the pragmatic ideals is something that will be the toughest thing to do, but we have to remain optimistic and hope for the best. End of it all… we are indeed a larger than life nation, and also the most 'original'. So, let us contribute as much as we can and embark ourselves upon this wonderful journey - living the Indian life. By Sai Mohan ( http://www.msnspecials.in/independenceday/young_india2.asp )