A Dream...
While interning with Human Rights Law Network, Ranchi I saw there are too many books in our office lying untouched. Earlier I was not aware about the fact that HRLN has such a nice collection of books. Some are really interesting and written in a very comprehensible straight forward manner. I came across books such as Dalits and Law, Environmental Justice, Supreme Court on Children, Combat Law special supplement on Fake Encounters, Rights of Prisoners, Right to Food and booklets like Schools or Hate-Labs? (an analysis of school text books of Rajasthan.) etc.
I felt that I should have came here earlier as many of these topics were in my 1st and 2nd semester sociology classes and apart from that many are useful to understand the framework of our Constitution. While working with HRLN, between office work and visiting courts I actually couldn’t stop myself from reading some of these books.
As there was a strike here by electricity workers and there was no power through out Jharkhand, I was not able to do any work for the whole day! We emptied our laptop’s battery pretty soon. Then we came back home early without any hope of getting any work done but in the meanwhile I managed to read the really nice and surprising booklet on school books written by Apoorvanand.
When I started reading the book I was getting surprised time and again on every page, by such informations as Gandhiji was awarded a title like Kesar-e-Hind by the British government, Savarkar was a suspect of murder of Mahatma Gandhi, who was released later by benefit of doubt! As I am from a Bengali medium school in West Bengal, we did not learn much about Savarkar except a mention in my history book as a freedom fighter. But still I think if these facts were there in our school books we could have enjoyed the subject (I used to hate history and thought it is the most boring subject on planet earth!) instead of those meaningless Hebrew-Latin adjectives before the names.
When the author pin pointed the strategy of using the concept of Arya invasion on the ancient times as “the truth” so that Hindu Sabhyata can be equated with Arya culture and present Hindu religion to show it as the root of the Indian culture, then I suddenly discovered that I have a similar concept about Aryas and Hindu Sabhyata though I have studied in a school of West Bengal Board not in Rajasthan!
I was shocked but that was not the end of the story, and I kept reading and getting surprised. How the school books tries to create a concept of an unified India in the mind of the children, which I used to believe unconsciously without questioning it! As now I do understand that this concept of unity in diversity, that we are all in a similar kind of cultural atmosphere (so I perceived India as Bengal!) throughout this vast nation is literally bull shit! But why did I never questioned that what is this perceived similarity that is prevailing among us(Indians)? And now days when I read books like “Nine Lives” or “The Weekenders” then I just get lost into the vast diversity of our culture. Their peculiar beliefs regarding God and the eternal power which are so different from each other, then I do understand this is a land of pure diversity. Then where is the unity in it? And of course you would feel the same by visiting various regions of India. Earlier we were united because of the British rule, now they are gone and the problems of secessionist movements through out the country is gaining prominence as the days passes by. Can’t help myself but to question that, is it because we have lost the reason for remaining together? Moreover is it the result of a very dominating approach taken by our government to make it an unified whole by way of assimilation? Isn’t it childish to deny all these diversities which are the main characteristic of India which differentiates the nation from all the other countries? I just can’t believe my eyes and ears that this was realized by our forefathers while they were fighting for freedom from the British Colonizers, but our present leaders failed to realise that, even now after more than 60 years after our independence!
Unity we cannot create by denying others differences, it can be created only by accepting their differences. Tolerance is not enough, as somewhere it indicates of keeping our hatred locked in a vault! Our professor says by cherishing and celebrating the differences among us we can create an undivided India! I too believe that only this shared value of respecting and celebrating our differences can bring us under an umbrella, can unite us. Imagine how free and fearless a society could be, if that society cherishes the idea of freedom of speech and expression, and cultural diversity not with tolerance but by celebrating it! I know it’s a hard work to do but I believe it’s possible. As John Lennon sang,…………… do you remember the song my dear friend?
“ You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will be as one…….”
I felt that I should have came here earlier as many of these topics were in my 1st and 2nd semester sociology classes and apart from that many are useful to understand the framework of our Constitution. While working with HRLN, between office work and visiting courts I actually couldn’t stop myself from reading some of these books.
As there was a strike here by electricity workers and there was no power through out Jharkhand, I was not able to do any work for the whole day! We emptied our laptop’s battery pretty soon. Then we came back home early without any hope of getting any work done but in the meanwhile I managed to read the really nice and surprising booklet on school books written by Apoorvanand.
When I started reading the book I was getting surprised time and again on every page, by such informations as Gandhiji was awarded a title like Kesar-e-Hind by the British government, Savarkar was a suspect of murder of Mahatma Gandhi, who was released later by benefit of doubt! As I am from a Bengali medium school in West Bengal, we did not learn much about Savarkar except a mention in my history book as a freedom fighter. But still I think if these facts were there in our school books we could have enjoyed the subject (I used to hate history and thought it is the most boring subject on planet earth!) instead of those meaningless Hebrew-Latin adjectives before the names.
When the author pin pointed the strategy of using the concept of Arya invasion on the ancient times as “the truth” so that Hindu Sabhyata can be equated with Arya culture and present Hindu religion to show it as the root of the Indian culture, then I suddenly discovered that I have a similar concept about Aryas and Hindu Sabhyata though I have studied in a school of West Bengal Board not in Rajasthan!
I was shocked but that was not the end of the story, and I kept reading and getting surprised. How the school books tries to create a concept of an unified India in the mind of the children, which I used to believe unconsciously without questioning it! As now I do understand that this concept of unity in diversity, that we are all in a similar kind of cultural atmosphere (so I perceived India as Bengal!) throughout this vast nation is literally bull shit! But why did I never questioned that what is this perceived similarity that is prevailing among us(Indians)? And now days when I read books like “Nine Lives” or “The Weekenders” then I just get lost into the vast diversity of our culture. Their peculiar beliefs regarding God and the eternal power which are so different from each other, then I do understand this is a land of pure diversity. Then where is the unity in it? And of course you would feel the same by visiting various regions of India. Earlier we were united because of the British rule, now they are gone and the problems of secessionist movements through out the country is gaining prominence as the days passes by. Can’t help myself but to question that, is it because we have lost the reason for remaining together? Moreover is it the result of a very dominating approach taken by our government to make it an unified whole by way of assimilation? Isn’t it childish to deny all these diversities which are the main characteristic of India which differentiates the nation from all the other countries? I just can’t believe my eyes and ears that this was realized by our forefathers while they were fighting for freedom from the British Colonizers, but our present leaders failed to realise that, even now after more than 60 years after our independence!
Unity we cannot create by denying others differences, it can be created only by accepting their differences. Tolerance is not enough, as somewhere it indicates of keeping our hatred locked in a vault! Our professor says by cherishing and celebrating the differences among us we can create an undivided India! I too believe that only this shared value of respecting and celebrating our differences can bring us under an umbrella, can unite us. Imagine how free and fearless a society could be, if that society cherishes the idea of freedom of speech and expression, and cultural diversity not with tolerance but by celebrating it! I know it’s a hard work to do but I believe it’s possible. As John Lennon sang,…………… do you remember the song my dear friend?
“ You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will be as one…….”
