about Nationalism

Modi talks about being a Hindu Nationalist, logic being he is a nationalist yet a practising Hindu. Let’s not discuss about who is a Hindu.

Digvijaya says he should say Indian Nationalist. Digvijay is of course known to suffer from Footinthemouth disease though of milder degree than Ms.Jaya Bacchan.

We talk of religion and the great caste divide, because we have no memory for things that happened some ten or twenty years ago, we’re still mouthing the same nonsense as two thousand years ago. Worse we cling with might and main to such absurdities like, race, class, religion, caste and the obligation to observe a religion and repress our love!

Maybe we are mixing religion and politics here, both the politics of religion and factoring in religion in politics, Our values,and belief system keeps the fundamental truth  from us– nationalism is a religion—think of it, we were to practise nationalism as a religion then where would be?

With a cultural construct, a common understanding of the world that binds communities together we would have the story of independence its religious parables , the symbol the national flag and ritual the a national anthem, that reinforce the idea of nation!

Yet some of the cultural rituals have emerged from the various beliefs we harness.

Customs like tip the poem and bribe the officer, from stray events these have now become compulsory rituals.

The day we longer believe in the corrupt Babu we stop the bribe. That could happen when we realize we the Indian, what faith we practise being irrelevant are the sovereign democratic republic of this country. The Babu is one of us, and not an external entity. If he gets his pay, it’s because we pay the taxes.

Isn’t it ironic that our life which claim is rational, stopped being ruled by myths, we as a society are still governed by the irrational, be it love, sorrow, hatred, ambition, rage or greed.

Maybe it is time quote Theodore Roosevelt—Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resource, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.

The bards of the new religion are no more sravaks, or parivrajaks, they are the media men.