Why will there be no revolution in India?

The Indian geography has many a distinct features. From Megasthenes to Darlymple, writers have travelled to the country and have written travelogues mainly insisting that: India is a special country with lots of specialness attached to it in various ways. The Vindhyas not only divide the country into north and south but also the perception, understanding, belief and orientation of the people living on both sides of it. For any person who is still a novice on India and is curious to know more, I would suggest him to first land in Srinagar instead of Mumbai. For modern writers, their India begins in Mumbai and ends in Delhi. For the prospects of exploring in limited gaze seem to be rewarding. On the contrary let us understand the wonderful country from its head to the toe and get a ‘complete look’. As is the Indian way of selecting a bride, the groom curiously scans the beautiful girl head to toe on their first meeting. Likewise we shall scan the country albeit for a different reason.  

Enter Srinagar you will find people chanting Pakistan and the aura in the general public is as special the state’s treatment to them. The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir described by many as heaven on earth for its beautiful lakes and snow capped mountains, has turned into a land of extreme military activity. The leading political leaders are themselves confused over the state’s accession to India, in a treaty signed by the then Maharaja of Kashmir with the government of India in 1948. Various factions of people still opine that the treaty was unfair and unjust and the state of Pakistan being an equal stake holder was not consulted by the scared maharaja. The dust from that is still not settled in the valley. I strangely feel that it is equivalent to an ugly real estate war that happens day in and out in the ever growing market of metropolitan India. Both the parties aren’t willing to budge. The Indians fight it out with their comparably superior military strength and the Pakistanis with their comparably superior terror strength.

In the northern Gangetic plains people are wilfully sleeping because mother Ganga has been bestowing them with food and a socialist masked government with their shelter. The plains are among the most fertile in the world. This God given gift has turned into a major bane to our people. With food coming at a comparative ease, the people never thought of newer ways to empower themselves. The ‘stomach’ has historically been the weak link in a man’s growth. A person who can control his stomach can control the entire world. That is what Mohandas Gandhi preached and followed. Anna Hazare is the most recent man in the news to testify it. In a democracy people are bound to get what they deserve. The government in New Delhi seems to reciprocate its people. No wonder.

On the other side of the Vindhyas, due to the Dravidian invasion in around, circa 10^th century B.C and the numerous fights that the feudal lords fought, the land was divided into sub geographies. Every one developed their own tongues, their own rituals, their own interpretations of the holy books Ramayana and Mahabharata. What is interesting and the most beautiful aspect of India is this. It allows people to be different and yet be similar. Over a period of time, the Deccan plateau saw many a great rulers who concentrated their efforts on building huge temples and literature database. What they could never comprehend or feel the necessity was to build an intellectual database. I would not blame them here. As I have written earlier, with food coming at ease they never could think beyond. Mother India is bestowed graciously by Mother Nature with the perennial rivers.

I met an IAS officer some years ago. He was candid enough to tell me how the system of education we follow mocks at us. In a fifth grade examination, it is asked to differentiate North Indian and South Indian rivers. The first prominent point written after mugging up the text book is: “North Indian rivers flow in north India and South Indian rivers flow in South India.” This is a classic example of how we have built our intellectual database over the years. We never concentrated on building an education system but only concentrated on building an examination system.

Yes, we know we are like this! We still manage to clock an impressive growth rate. That has been our pride and a face saving campaign come elections. But, are we going to change?

Revolution: A distant ideology

Frankly speaking, why do we need a revolution now? I am increasingly oriented towards believing that it has become a fad, created by the 24X7 media. The happenings in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya are totally different case studies. Are we aroused and infatuated about “revolution” seeing and hearing that? If the answer is in the affirmative, then revolution is going to be a distant dream. Nothing great can be done by imitating or by reacting to the situation instead of responding. Why revolution remains a distant ideology with us is for the reason that we are not equipped both ideologically and intellectually for a sweeping change. Why Gandhi was instrumental and successful in getting the British ousted is because our forefathers at that time were ideologically equipped. The entire country had only one idea to live for: ‘to oust the British’. That is natural, because when you are convinced that you have a snake in your house you empower yourself ideologically to oust it. Why Anna Hazare has a difficult task calling for a revolution is that the nation cannot be ideologically convinced for a revolution like this. Because the majority stake holders in corruption are the people themselves.

What happened in Tamil Nadu elections recently was shocking and shameful. We can fight, wage a war and make a bill into a law but we cannot fight and empower our people. That has to happen through peace and assimilating the ideas of everyone involved. If India is desperate of a revolution, it will happen. And we will eventually be a part of it. We have learnt this sacred art of blaming others for our state of being. Pointing fingers at our politicians won’t just work. In a democratic set up, blaming the leaders is laughable. When you take the responsibility of choosing them you should be ready to bear them.

 To end, I am reminded of these eternal lines of Robert Kennedy- “The world demands the qualities of the youth. Not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite of adventure over the life of ease.” 

PS: I am a firm believer in the incredible capacity that India, my motherland has for a revolution, cometh the time for it. What worries me is the intellectual bankruptcy that we are nearing to. What scares me further is that we are not sensing this.