Pseudo patriotism

Surge of seasonal patriotism is round the corner. It is created. I don’t see a natural surge. The question is why do we need to create such feeling? We live in a high context culture society and we need a celebrity or hero to ignite patriotic feelings. We remain dormant for most of the year but come January and August we get a booster dose to show the patriotism. The effects and side effects of this booster dose vary in different age groups, like Kal, Aaj aur Kal. We are divided in three categories. We have those who were born before the independence or born till mid-fifties. I dare not call them old. These are our senior citizens. This generation has seen a different India. Their expectations of present day India were so different. The present day ABC (Anarchy, Bureaucracy, Corruption) in governance is far different from dream that they cherished for India. This generation is the one that is most disappointed. They have lived their life with struggle. The Nehruvian socialism made them stand for hours in a queue for a kilogram of sugar or rotten wheat or adulterated rice. The politicians failed to deliver India the abundance. One had to go around Fountain in Mumbai or New Market in Kolkata or Burma Bazar in Chennai even to buy a smuggled blank audio cassette. One would have endless wait to get a scooter booked by depositing Rs.500 at the post office and pledging same in favour of the dealer. The generation grew old with hope for abundance. It Things improved, but it came with a price. Inflation, corruption and criminalization came hand in hand with the abundance. The sum total was the same. The generation paid a heavy price for what they had desired.

The second generation was born post republic till mid-seventies. This generation made best use of the situation and grabbed the opportunities. Some from this generation changed the definition of politics. Social service laced with political ideologies turned in to profession. The poisonous ivy of state reorganization on linguistic basis that was planted in Nehru era had grown. Differences between the communities started becoming more prominent. This generation made best use of this. They grabbed the opportunity and furthered the British policy of divide and rule. They acquired what they desired, not necessarily deserved. Looking at the opportunities some from the earlier generation also joined the bandwagon. Some of them even became mentors for the younger generation to guide them to loot the society and the government under the disguise of social work aka political activities. This generation was on a different platform. They never contributed for the freedom struggle; they got the freedom and poisonous ivy on a platter that resulted in greed and hatred. This generation saw abundance for themselves. The abundance was at the cost of sacrifice of values and morality. Some from this generation still rule the country and play dirty politics. Some make such statements that one feel as if they are the ministers of enemy nation. This is done just to please the vote bank. The systems and politics resulted in brain drain. India lost many talented people to the developed nations. Their aspirations could not be fulfilled by these selfish mediocre politicians and the systems that they developed and propagated.

Fragmentation of political ideologies and the parties, emergence of new political parties resulted in this generation. Political nudity was at its low and unfortunately this became the benchmark for the coming generations. Corruption took its root and politicians started turning shameless (there may be few exceptions). This was the era that started marketing patriotism twice a year regularly and frequently if needed. Celebrations during national holidays became rituals.

Now comes the third generation that I referred to. My heart goes with them. Struggle for the independence and post-independence era are only a text book matter for them. This generation has observed the second one. They saw the higher magnitudes of corruptions and scams. Scams that were of few crores were up at lacs of crores. Murders and rapes that were sporadic became routine. Respect for law that was high during the independence era and declined thereafter is almost extinct now. Now it looks like everyone is above the law, especially the politicians. There is a great deterioration of law and order. There is politics everywhere, be it suicide of a farmer, or rape of a minor, or even expressing respect for Hinduism.

This generation has been fortunate to see the technological changes, the advancement. The comforts that were elusive to earlier generations are within the reach of this young generation. Their priorities are different. Social structure has undergone change. Individualism is setting in. One has become self-centered. Owning a house was last wish that a first generation male. Today owning a house has become first priority for any male or female in the present generation. Mobiles, bikes, cars, overseas vacations and many other things that were a lifetime ambitions in the past have become routine requirements today. Earnings have increased manifold and therefore the spending and resultant inflation. All this is fine and understandable, but not at the apathy towards the political systems and governance. Dynastic rule makes it difficult for a common patriotic soul to acquire political highs. The dynastic rule does not accept others in the system and this deprives the patriotic from joining politics that has been polluted more than the sacred Ganga. The way now Gangajal is unfit for consumption, the politics is also unfit for current generation. Those who stay at the banks of Ganga have no choice; similarly those who got dragged into politics, they too have no choice. They have to live with this reality. However those who can avoid this polluted Ganga, they stay away, rather than taking a plunge with motive to clean it. Lighting candles, conducting street plays, taking out morchas and many other innovative ways of protest are fine. These cosmetic activities cannot be curative. The movement against the corruption that was in the forefront has also lost its steam. Looks it’s going to be like this. A long weekend during national holiday is becoming more meaningful than celebrating the rituals and expressing pseudo patriotism. Mother India you have to live with it.

Jai Hind….