Independence Day 2015

---- from perpetual 

dependence 

to 

INDEPENDENCE

     What started as the first organized 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

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     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 on matters of civic issues.” 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 bllom organically, 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 paradoxically 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 will invariably have to go thro the same pain. 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 themselves as combustibles of these 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