Independence Day 2014
---- from perpetually
in-dependence
to
INDEPENDENCE
What started as a mutiny against a foreign
regime in 1857 in Meerut by a sepoy martyr named Mangal Pandey culminated in
the Independence of India and Pakistan 90 years and thousands of sacrifices
later on 14/15th August 1947. Those thousands of freedom fighters
lay down their lives for a people who would be free to write their own destiny,
their own ‘bhagya vidhaataas’ not dependent on anyone. Come 16th
August 2011, and a diminutive frail old man poses a benign question to the prevalent
regime asking it to release the power it holds over its people by ushering in
transparency. Anna’s Anshan and the regime’s Machiavellian response to it galvanized
the nation and common men like you and me woke up to the fact that true independence
still eluded India. India after over six decades still hadn’t attained the
ideal state of people’s participation in governance. It had only attained adult
franchise whereby periodically power gets transferred from one gang of
opportunists to another with tacit understanding among them. With Swaraj or “power
to the people” still a dream.
Thousands
of years ago, the phrase SWARAJ was first propounded by sage Atri in Rgveda
when he said ॥ व्यचिष्ठे बहुपाय्ये
यतेमही स्वराज्ये
॥ Vyachishthe = universal franchise where all
people have a right to participation. Bahupayye = whereby, the majority
secures the right of minority. Yatemahi = let us all strive for. Swarajye = the
ultimate objective of self-rule. In short, this Rgvedic verse extols thus: “Let
Us All Strive For Swaraj Wherein All People Are Participators In Decision
Making With A Magnanimous Outlook of Securing The Minority.”
This idea has been nurtured over millennium in the
Indian subcontinent from Quetta to Kamrup including long phases
during which Self-rule (Swaraj) was practiced as a governance model during
the Buddhist age period http://www.lokrajandolan.org/ancientindia.html Interestingly,
even during Moghul invasion & the subsequent European colonization,
Swaraj as a governance model was prevalent in many pockets of
India. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4B_FonvHcE0U1ZRdUlQZWN1UFk/edit
In modern day India, Swaraj or Home-rule
was propagated by Dadabhai Naorojee as Congress President in 1906, which was
later made into a clarion call by Lokmanya Tilak who famously said “Swaraj is
my birthright and I shall have it”. Gandhiji too in his seminal book “Hind
Swaraj” advocated Swaraj vehemently.
Things went awry after Gandhiji’s
demise in 1948 during the drafting of the constitution. The 26th Jan 1950
document envisages a 2 ½ tier governance system of Province & Nation,
with certain minimalist rights to individuals, -a fundamental departure from
the tried & tested Swaraj model which had multi-tier decision making
structure with “unitary independence to each unit.” It sees each citizen in
multiple roles –an individual, a family member, a dweller of a locality, a
domicile of a state and a citizen of a nation. Swaraj model guarantees each
person participation at each of these levels. Today, in the 21st century,
most developed democracies are following this Swaraj model of governance. http://www.lokrajandolan.org/othercountries.html
India is fortunate that although true
Swaraj model of governance is not practiced today, eminent stalwarts have been
keeping the Swaraj flame alive post independence. Be it Acharya Vinoba Bhave’s
extensive treatise called “Swaraj Shastra”, or Ram Manohar Lohia’s “4 pillars”
theory, or Jai Prakash Narayan’s “Sampoorn Kranti”, or Prof Thakur Das Bang’s
Swaraj experiments thro Lokswaraj Manch, http://www.lokswarajmanch.blogspot.in/ or Anna Hazare’s IaC movement, or Arvind Kejriwal’s
Aam Aadmi Party www.aamaadmiparty.org experiment
today.
Any good idea that voluntarily imposes non-violence (ethical)
values upon itself takes time to exude, because other governance models resort
to violent (unethical) means to sustain status-quo. Swaraj idea is bound to
face stiff opposition from present day entrenched interests. Hence we see a
vicious opposition to AAP presently be it Congress whose dynastic politics is
anathema to Swaraj, Or BJP which, by openly promulgating dictatorship, has
turned itself into a cancer virus eating away at the vitals of Hinduism itself,
which conversely gave Swaraj idea to the world. The less said about the other
regional parties, the better because they are nothing more than family
heirlooms. Gandhi, Lohia, JP, Prof Bang, Anna et al had to face the same wrath
of status-quoists from within & without. AAP is going thro the same
pain today. Innumerable AAPians too honestly seem more concerned about AAP’s
future rather than seeing AAP as a mere vehicle to deliver liberty to the
people, ie, Swaraj.
Adi Shankaracharya, in his immortal theory declared that all
living organisms are endowed with five fundamental characteristics. Satt, Chitt, Anand, Mumuksha
& Ishna. Satt being the wish to survive, Chitt being the wish to
learn, Anand being the desire for happiness, Mumuksha being the wish to break
the shackles and become freer, Ishna being the desire to influence others.
Swaraj is nothing but an acknowledgement of this fact whereby the governance
model guarantees complete liberty to the people.
Just like Rishi Atri’s mantra, Gandhiji’s Hind Swaraj, Naoroji’s
resolution in Congress, Tilak’s clarion call, Lohia’s socialism, JP’s total
revolution, Prof Bang’s applied experiments, Anna’s historic movement were
combustibles that fuelled Swaraj during their time, present day Indian Swaraj
is being fuelled by multitudes including AAP. AAPians too should view ourselves
as combustibles of our times to eventually deliver complete liberty (Sampoorn
Swaraj) to the citizens. Striving for Swaraj is an eminently fulfilling life
for the present generation, the best homage to our great ancestors, and the
finest bequest to our children. Regardless of its success or failure as a
political party, we should view AAP as a very important milestone in
destination Swaraj.
In Jai Prakash Narayan’s immortal words मेरी रूचि
इस बात में नहीं
की कैसे
सत्ता हासिल
की जाए, बल्कि इस बात में है की कैसे सत्ता
का नियंत्रण
जनता के हाथ में दे दिया
जाए|
We strive to breathe in such an Independent India.
Comments