Shiban Khaibri
When exactly can we sincerely say that there is really a complete and irreversible national integration in our country ? Series of rhetoric and event speeches by most of our politicians are generally not matching with ground realities, let us agree. Fissiparous tendencies of different hues are trying to gain ascendancy putting national integration in jeopardy .Fostering a sense of belonging and shared identity should not be only demonstrated when some of our citizens are in distress or are likely to face some harm in other countries where they may be undergoing academic studies, or be in connection with commercial business or any other pursuits and all of a sudden there could be a strife , commotion, war or any breakdown of law and order needing evacuating process. In fact, national integration has got lot to do with cultural dimensions, heritage, traditions and rituals, social considerations, linguistic and educational promotion also and last but not least , addressing historical grievances including , the most important, correcting brazen distorted versions of our history books . Why should any country feel disinclined for any reason whatsoever, in not openly acknowledging that it was repeatedly invaded for centuries and the innocent natives incessantly were undergoing and facing all sorts of tyrannies, coercion, massacres, proselytizing , demolitions, jizya (tax) etc and getting pulverised for submissively advocating let alone glorifying traditional time tested axioms of “Live and let live”, non-violence, extreme tolerance and respect for one another , not invading other countries to subdue their culture, traditions and beliefs. Should, instead our invaders, tormentors and looters be eulogised, glorified and memorialised thus compromising with the national honour ?
Do some of our ambitious political leaders not indulge in the broader divide of North and South trying to project the divided regions as superior to each other? Are political leaders, not, many a time, raising the alarm of Indians visiting ” their” states as being “from outside our state” or even in broader perspective as “outsiders” especially during elections for votes thus rendering real and perilous outsiders to the absolute background of no import as regards their unsolicited presence followed by much required detection and deportation? Instead of celebrating and sharing the beauty and richness of our various sweet languages and their respective literary treasures, are we not locking them up in barriers injecting a blend of prejudice , narrow mindedness and cheap politics into the entire gamut of Bharti languages , in particular our Rajbhasha Hindi . Still , we claim (or feign) to cherish our rich diversity . Of late, it is painfully observed how some pinches of violence were seen and watched in the name of language in some parts of Mumbai. At random, some people were “found” speaking in Hindi and not in Marathi and subjected to unwarranted harassment including physical assault. We respect , value and feel proud of Marathi language, for that purpose – the Tamil, Telugu, Kannad, Bengali , Gujarati, Punjabi and all languages spoken in our country but there must also be a common language spoken and understood throughout the country . If that cannot be Hindi , it cannot be English either or any other language too. National integration is concomitant to and auxiliary of a commonly spoken language across the country which could be none else than Hindi – prejudice and unwanted bias towards it notwithstanding.
It is a travesty that Hindi language could not, all these seven long decades, travel from constitutionally designated official language status to National language. On the contrary , its arduous journey has not only been challenging and strenuous but its fate for future decades and decades in a row, looking to the political prejudice it faces , seems to be a very turbulent and gruelling one . Should Hindi be subjected to such an ill treatment that even under much flexible National Education Policy , teaching it as default third language up to 5th standard should be vehemently opposed as a result of which students can opt for any other Indian language instead of Hindi ? The three language formula under the New Education Policy was aimed at , besides promoting the mother or regional language , studying English and Hindi . Is not this formula sufficiently promoting multilingualism and building a strong national integration by encouraging students to learn languages from varied linguistic groups ? Then, why the fuss about and prejudice exhibited against Hindi only ? Should approaching BMC polls in Maharashtra result in joining the two brothers to gain some political recovery but at the cost of and targeting Hindi and Hindi speaking people ? Unacceptable, this .
Jammu and Kashmir has proven to be an example in itself where there is no apparent language prejudice. Here, you can watch and feel and know and enjoy and eulogise the enviable elasticity in this respect. Names , signboards, signages , Police stations, Hospitals, Schools, Colleges , Roads, streets etc are not written in regional languages exclusively the way we start experiencing beyond Lakhanpur . People of this erstwhile state , now a Union Territory, have never ever been language prejudiced and Hindi is read and written in this non- Hindi region with much interest and enthusiasm. Urdu language exclusively used in offices , as is claimed generally, is not fully true as under Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020, Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English are to be used as official languages .
Next comes the much confused, complicated, ill treated , one sided approach(ed) , distorted history books that we have been asked to read for decades , memorise, pass on to next generations – mostly about those who invaded, looted, destroyed, converted, massacred and undermined our social, educational and cultural fabric . The NCERT authorities have , now, made some minor changes to history books which as usual, has sparked unnecessary and unsolicited criticism and controversy. Removal of some content about invader Mughals and “modern” Indian history to rationalize the curriculum and address concern about the burden on students has been surprisingly described as “distortions of history” and a move towards a “prejudiced and irrational perception of the past”. Monopolistic history writers and secular critics may call it anything like historical revisionism and attempts to promote a particular narrative of Indian history but Akbar at the age of just 25 can order massacre of 30000 Rajputs following the siege of Chittorgarh in 1568 and numerous women committing Jauhar or a mass self immolation deliberately omitted in our history books is no history writing and such a king cannot be called “The Great” . Let both the sides of the coin be presented if correct and authentic history is to be taught to Indian students. Nagarkot Kangra deadly siege by Akbar in 1573 left scars behind which is forgotten and not mentioned in history books, why? Muntakhab- at- Twarikh , a chronicle of Akbar’s reign should also find place in our history books.
If some justice with Indian history has to be done, the past should not consist of selective events only with an aim of presenting zealot invaders as heroes and warriors. Kashmir history, most important in numerous ways to be fully known , is untouched in the sense not talked about at all . It is not taught even remotely the way it warrants.
Next, let a word or two be spoken about our valued traditions and ways of life which this country has been cherishing , preserving and nurturing even under challenges of compulsive vote politics , western lifestyles, civilization(al) overrunning and the like. Last week , the country observed Guru Purnima which is the day to honour, respect and paying gratitude to academic teachers and spiritual Gurus . Teachers impart knowledge , self discipline, morality and service of the mankind , leading individuals from darkness to light, to wisdom , from ignorance to understanding. On this day, students often touch feet , even wash them in symbolic manner as per great traditions. However, it was painful to see that Guru Purnima ritual riled up CPI (M) led LDF in kerala where ages old “Pada Puja” in a few schools by students was termed as “destroying secularism” , “regressive”, “instilling a slave mentality” and an Act by “The RSS and Sangh Parivar”. A timeless Sanatan tradition of thousands of years of honouring teachers was mocked by the ecosystem and finally openly consumed by Marxian farce which unmasked its phoney secularism.
How can, therefore, it be claimed that we have attained strong and cohesive national integration looking to the points enumerated in these lines and if one more instance that of some Changur “Baba” is not briefly referred to looking to his alleged “empire” , money trails and well knit syndicate of proselytising and associated crimes which really sends shivers down the spine . Has anyone self styled secular political leader from so many political parties including CPI(M) led LDF spoken one word against Chhangur ? No, but why? Now, hypothetically speaking, just reverse the position , what a hullabaloo would have been raised by this very secular brigade , any idea ? So, is not the term secularism in itself being abused , violated, degenerated, misrepresented, selectively interpreted and finally milked to get votes only ?
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