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RIP Republic!

By Dr Akhileshwari Ramagoud

27 January, 2016
Countercurrents.org

I have not celebrated Republic Day. I didn’t feel an iota of happiness on this day. No longer does my heart swell with pride at the progress the country has achieved, no longer do patriotic stories rouse my passion for the country, no longer does any of the sacrifice of the martyrs of the independence struggle want me to make similar sacrifice for my country, like they did not too long ago. I felt nothing today. Even did the patriotic songs of Bollywood that were played on Vividh Bharathi dutifully to mark the day, failed to move me. There was a time when I would sing along every song, every line, I so loved them. I remember a few years ago a friend who has made the US her home, was in India around this time. She said her dream had been to watch the Republic Day Parade on the Rajpath. She made it a point to watch it live when in India and whenever it was telecast live or later on TV in the US. Now that she was here in January was there any way one could watch it from close quarters? Why not, I said. How does one not make efforts to fulfil a dream of a dear friend? I made a few calls and with the help of a journalist friend, got two passes for the parade. The two of us landed in Delhi and on Rajpath. Despite spending an entire lifetime as a journalist/reporter, this was a first for me too. As the various contingents of our young soldiers went past us marching with precision, with pride shining in their eyes and their bodies proclaiming their determination and purpose, I glanced at my friend for no reason. What I saw stunned me. Tears were streaming down her face, in joy and celebration of her country. I hadn’t ever seen her cry, the strong woman that she is, and it almost unnerved me. I joined her in celebrating our dear motherland as my eyes too got clouded. Even today whenever we speak long distance or meet annually, she never fails to acknowledge her gratitude for giving her that unforgettable moment in her life.

There’s a pain in my heart today as I recall those sentiments, of pure love and readiness to serve my country, to protect it, to see it grow and be a guiding star to the world. My heart that used to thrill while reading the paeans that poets sang to the glory of India, is today, full of pain, the pain of the loss of my dreams, of my hopes, of my belief in my country.

Does democracy make sense? Does Republic Day? For that matter, does anything about India make sense? How can one celebrate anything, not just the Republic Day, with so much hatred and intolerance prevailing in the country? Rohith Vemula is no more. He could not fulfil his dreams, dreams that every youngster nurtures. His ambitions were ruthlessly destroyed by a cruel system that has ruled over the people for centuries. Rohith is just one of those millions of those buds that were nipped off the branch__and are being nipped off everywhere__so that they did not flower and spread their fragrance, a fragrance that the powerful cannot bear. These powerful people have never allowed any Rohith to flower ever since this so-called civilisation came into its own.

The fragrance of Rohith has been overcome by the stink of Brahminism. This stink pervades the entire country, all the institutions, and all the so-called four estates that comprise a democratic system: the Legislature, the Executive, the Judiciary, and the media. Every single ‘estate’ stinks of Brahminism and casteism which is why Rohith had to die. Which is why hundreds and thousands of Rohiths are destroyed before they can begin to bloom.

When 68 years ago the country threw out the colonial rulers, a new hope coursed through the veins of its people of a new era being heralded whose foundations were built on freedom and equality of the individual citizen. This naive hope did not take into consideration that those who dominated the freedom struggle were casteist. They eased out the colonial masters and took over the country and ensured that their own class and caste monopolised the rights, guarantees and benefits provided by the State. Thus they continued the colonialism of the foreigners, the white people. This time round, the neo colonisers were fellow-Indians who continued to colonise and exploit the poor, the ‘low’ castes and the minorities, who comprise the majority of the people. Thus, colonialism continued without a break. One set of colonial masters was replaced by yet another, seamlessly.

Today, Brahminism is the religion, system and government of the country. There has been no respite for the under-privileged, the poor, the minorities and the ‘low’ caste people. With the Hindutva goons taking over the power in Delhi, the inherent violence and hatred of Brahminism is on full display, manifesting itself shamelessly in violent physical attacks on Muslims, Christians, Dalits and OBCs. Yet another insidious manner in which this violence is manifest is in the blatant ‘Hinduising’ of various institutions and organisations of the State. A small but powerful group, just like the East India Company, has the people by the throat, stifling their freedom, aspirations, dreams and their very existence. This group, with its tentacles spread far and wide, has coopted some of us and implements its agenda of maintaining its supremacy. Its ideology, based on hatred, intolerance and exclusion is a violation of the Constitution. Under the Brahminical dispensation, the Constitution is no more than a piece of paper. Therefore, there’s nothing to celebrate about the adoption of this Constitution on January 26. May be we should mourn its passing, immediately after its birth. Rest in peace, Republic Day.

Dr Akhileshwari Ramagoud is a senior Journalist and Academic
Email: [email protected]



 



 

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