The Nationalism: Indian View & Western View

Interestingly the word Nationalism doesn’t incite the same fervor in Western and Indian culture.

In India Nationalism is same as Patriotism. It raises the feeling of passion for everything that is Indian. The raise of Indian nationalism is a standard subject of Independence struggle in India. Swami Vivekananda raised the nationalism feeling amongst the masses cutting across caste, creed & religion. All Indian leaders including Gandhiji followed it by uniting the masses for a common cause of Freedom from British rule.

In the western world especially in the Europe the word Nationalism brings forth antagonism & fear. It is best described by the famous French President Charles de Gaule: “Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; Nationalism when hate for people other than your own comes first”. This phrase ‘own people’ is who? Is it by Language? Or culture? Or religion? Or profession?

Pride and Passion

In India, we regard all people as ‘our own people’ with a kind prayer ‘Sarve Janah Sukhino Bhavanthu’. Our nationalist leaders incited pride amongst the masses about themselves and their forefathers and their past. They understood the truth of nature and its inherent diversity. While keeping the pride about themselves and their culture, they developed passion for appreciating their neighbor’s & others philosophy, culture, diversity. That is what made Bharatha (India). They never tried to kill diversity. They found unity in the fundamental truth of diversity. This pride & passion is what is the reason for so much diversity thriving in Bharatha.

Pride and Prejudice

Pride is called Abhimana in most Indian languages. Prejudice is Durabhimana. Prejudice is feeling of superior race over all others.

In the west, the pride is prominently followed by prejudice against the ‘others’. The Nationalism is like uniting people based on something common with hatred to others uncommon to them. Who are others? That definition of ‘others’ can be based on anything. It can be based on language, culture, profession, religion etc., So for one reason or the other, people attack people & kill them mercilessly.

The tribal systems living in harmony with nature are completely wiped out. The natives of America are slaughtered. Pagan system of nature worship is eliminated. Several languages are extinct. Civilizations like Egyptians, Mayans are listless. Crusades, inquests, holocaust are the hall mark of Pride & Prejudice in the west. And they came and taught us, that India had thousands of kings quarrelling & fighting each other, they came to unite us! What an irony? And we believe it?!

The world has seen 2 recent world wars originating in Europe and sucking the entire world in itself. Why? The imperialists from this region started amassing arms and ammunition by looting rich Asian, African countries to show off their pride. Their prejudice could not be contained beyond the spark and exploded with world wars.

Same is the case with the current ongoing Middle East religious conflicts. It started slowly somewhere and rapidly sucking in all neighboring nations and people from all over European nations are joining their holy war!!

Dividing India by sowing Hatred

There are various forces working in India with short term political motives to divide India. The Dravida Kazhagam movement in Tamilnadu, Ahinda movement in Karnataka are classic examples of dividing the innocent society by instilling the fear and inciting resentment. They are made to feel that somebody within India is suppressing them. They are made to feel they are the oppressed society and there is a need to rise against the oppressors.

Added to that, there is a lot of foreign funded missionaries and NGO s working relentlessly towards inciting this feeling and dividing the society. Rajiv Malhotra’s book ‘Breaking India’ is a well-researched book on this subject. It delves deep into this subject dispassionately, leading to find who funds these organizations and why?

There are student organizations in universities, institutions raising divisions amongst the student communities on these lines. Their focus is taken away from academics in premium institutes like IIT Madras. Similar incidents of inciting hatred through student organizations are happening routinely in north Indian institutes too.

There are professors, self-proclaimed intellectuals preaching hatred and animosity towards Sanskrit, Vedas, Bhagavad Gita etc., Their presumption is that it is all Brahminical and upper cast hegemony. Opening research and studies on these is considered as imposing Brahminical culture over all. It is such a pity our students are falling prey to such propaganda. These texts are universal. Bhagavad Gita is told by Sri Krishna who was a Yadava, to Arjuna who was a Kshatriya and written by Veda Vyasa whose birth is in lower caste. So where comes Brahminical hegemony here? Dr. BR Ambedkar, the harbinger of the backward classes studied extensively the Sanskrit texts and vehemently fought to make it the National Language. Using his name his followers today are going in opposite direction. Why? Just for the sake of opposing a certain culture. This is leading to hatred. The Sanskrit language is immensely vast and has a mine of knowledge. The entire Bachelor degree studies of Ayurveda Medicine are based on Ancient Sanskrit texts. It is a pity that British created submissive intellectuals in us; they called Sanskrit as a dead language and removed it from primary education. Before them it was a common language across the length and breadth of India. It united India. British successfully broke India.

Hinduism, Hindu texts, are like Open Source technology. You take it and utilize it for individual and societal benefits. If you are not convinced about a part or a section of the text creating harmony, then discard it or interpret it for the good of the society. We have lost a lot by ignoring these magnificent texts already. We should revive it for the good of the society and not create hegemony.

Continuing the ancient tradition of India, the modern Swamiji’s, Ashrams like Shirdi Sai, Maatha Amruthananda Mayi, Ramakrishna Mission etc., are following Vedic texts to spread the love of humanity, love of god, intense faith towards your Ishta Devatha. Not all of them are Brahmins. None of them are imposing it. They are not spreading any animosity to English or international languages or local languages. Rather they are imbibing it. All are welcome. It is the pure language of love that binds people. Swami Vivekananda was not a Brahmin who said “Save Samskrutha and Save Samskruthi”.

I strongly believe those who spread pure Love and Harmony will find all Indian languages, sacred texts with equal love and embrace them, enhance and spread them for the good of the society. I wish and prey in god, that our government institutions, its heads, professors, students shun hatred and embrace pure love towards knowledge & intellect.

Let there be revival of our Golden past for our Golden future. Let there be opposition and debates with love for people & society at the core. Let there be Nationalism fervor with love for the people irrespective of their diversity at the core.