India’s intellectual elite have not come to terms with the realities of the day. There is a significant shift in the thinking of our people, especially among the youth. What used to be politically correct, and therefore “sacred”, through the 80s, 90s and 2000s are not so anymore. I will highlight only three of such issues.
1. Indian Secularism is Dishonest
Secularism was smuggled into India, through the 42nd amendment of the constitution, during emergency (1975-77), by Smt. Indira Gandhi. It had a disgraceful entry.
Secularism added NO value to the Indian ethos of respect for all religions, which was shaped through thousands of years, with its active engagement with the Dharmic ideals. It also challenged the idea of “mutual respect” and downgraded it to mere “tolerance” among communities.
Secularism practised in India don’t even live upto its own standards elsewhere. Through a policy of selective intervention, we have alienated communities and pitted one against the other. Four decades later, we have a situation where the Hindu temples are controlled and taken over by the govt., Uniform Civil Code remain unimplemented, and religious institutions funding Maoism, Terrorism and other break-India projects are left unchecked (even encouraged!) for the minority card they flaunt.
2. Not a Global citizen, but a Global Indian
The left through post colonial, sub altern and post modernist studies control India’s education. It is in pursuit of undoing the “Indian” identity of our people. They do it in the pretext of upgrading our people to a universal identity of “global citizens”, rather than a “jingoistic” identity of an Indian.
They would openly support break-India brigade in JNU and elsewhere, provide intellectual and material capital to Maoists and Naxalites, pamper and promote Dravidian and northern chauvinists, mastermind language and regional wars, and manufacture an imaginary north-south divide. All of this is their earnest effort to dilute the cherished Indian identity of an average Indian. And what they offer in exchange is a soul-less global identity, or a chauvinist regional identity.
Young India is ready to the embrace world. But not as rootless refugees. We will embrace the world as the torch bearers of this ancient Indian civilisation.
Imported theories of social justice should fall. It should be replaced with new theories that best understand and reflect the realities and aspirations of our communities. The intrinsic unity of our communities should be brought back to the fore.
An Indian grand narrative that is assertive, yet respectful to all communities of the world is in the making. More and more of young India wants to adopt it, to make a better sense of who they are and what their roles and responsibilities are in the international scheme.
3. No more divided by castes, but united by Dharma
The divide and rule policy of the British was inherited by the Indian political class.
The golden rules are:
a. Never let Hindu unite. Keep them fragmented by oiling the caste fault lines.
b. Never let minority religious and linguist communities embrace mainstream. Patronise the unreasonables among them, and promote them as the communities’ unchallenged leadership.
Lesser and lesser Hindus identify with caste these days. A majority of them have rediscovered their unity in Dharma. It has reconnected them to their civilisational past.
Go for an evening walk in any Indian city. 7 out of 10 times, you will come across a young Hindu, who is not casteist, but confident and assertive of his/her Hindu identity forged in the ideals of Dharma.
Śrīnāth Mohandās
March 18, 2018
Śrīnāth Mohandās 