Schools of Thoughts or Ideologies lie in the basic foundation of any nation.
Ideologies wage wars. Ideologies make peace.
Ideologies divide people. Ideologies unite people.
A matter of such power lays silent in our nation today.
Indian Political thoughts are comparatively difficult to explain though. Rajas and Maharajas had DHARMA as their political ideology. Dharma literally meant the ‘Right code of Conduct’. The position of Dharma was a priority which was not compromised by the rulers and the ruled alike. Both parties agreed on the fact that Dharma is above all. Homogeneity was more, conflicting thoughts were less. It was easier to maintain the supremacy of Dharma with fewer challenges.
India was awake.
Centuries passed. India got new rulers. Dharma got absorbed into the crowd and words of the Ulema and Sharia became the new political school of thought for India. Jihad came into practice. The degree of tolerance varied from a scale of Akbar to Aurangzeb, Akbar being a 10. Although religious in colour, Hindustani knew their ideologies as well as the protocols of the rulers. There was no confusion regarding ideologies. Even though heterogeneity increased, Dharma and Sharia stood side by side as ideological pillar held grounds.
Still, India was awake.
Then came a period of chaos. Entered a never seen before type of political school. The school of Money making. This school preached Capitalism in the name of Development. There was no sign of true ruling. Social welfare was used as a bait for keeping the few awakened Indians onto the ground. The governance only knew to loot money from Indians and to drain them of wealth.
No Dharma, No Sharia.
And since then we never recovered. Our social psychology became so messed up that we forgot ourselves. Our principles, our morals got adulterated with a savage virus called “Money Making”.
India went into a trench which turned the awakened Indians into a horde of sheep who had only one struggle in mind: To Exist.
Amongst all the doom, a section of people was still awake, who were aware that they are all they have: The freedom fighters. They understood the thought process of the British and attempted to find an issue oriented solution to the disaster. They realised:
India was no more than a geographical territory now. They did not realise that they do not deserve to be harassed in the name of taxes. They did not realise that they were the first class citizen of this land. They did not even know that India was their land and they were INDIANS.
It was long forgotten that India is a spirit, a union, a home to intellects who taught the world, a nation which existed much before than the word ‘Nation’ itself.
A country so great, that when the greatness is evoked the oppressors have no other option than to leave.
The same was done. The sleeping society was shaken. The dormant ideology awakened. In came western concepts of Equality, Fraternity, and Integrity. These feelings along with nationalism were instilled in each and every one of us. WE became Indians.
Indians who respected their motherland till the point of life sacrifice, who welcomed the new social awakenings and believed in political equality, who believed in being brothers of a different religion, who believed in their own power because they knew what they want.
India was awake again.
It was all well till we won.
Amongst all the joy of anticipated freedom, a section played their dirty card. We got infected with the syndrome we have been battling for the last 70 years: Communalism.
Hindus picked weapons against the same brothers who stood with them burning pyres of British goods in Boycott movement and the Muslims killed the same brothers who marched with them to break Salt Laws.
Bodies fell.
Blood flowed.
Winners: Retarded psychology, Lack of religious security and Hatred.
Losers: Hindus, Muslims, Society and India.
Storms passed with some unrecoverable losses.
To ensure these situations never repeat, the makers of our constitution made Indians bound by law to follow the Indian Ideology of Equality, Justice, Liberty and Fraternity. Fundamental rights were enshrined to empower citizens against a situation where the leaders forget their ideologies. And later Fundamental Duties were enshrined for a situation where the Citizens forget their duties as an Indian.
India, a nation of Morals was handed with the trust of safety and growth to a country where only 12% of people could read and write. Indians were trusted with the decision of the future of the country. The world considered it to be the biggest political gamble of all time and we were having bets on our destruction.
But we survived. Why?
Because India was awake.
Today 74% of us can read and write. We are the fastest growing economy in the world. We have industrialisation growing at an unimaginable rate. We are the IT Mecca. India is a brand of the world.
And things have indeed changed,
In 1947, we needed a solid reason supported enraging to kill our owns in the name of religion.
In 2017, we don’t need any reason to start a communal riot.
In 1947, we knew India as Indians.
In 2017, we know India as Congress supporters, BJP supporters; As Muslims, as Hindus.
In 1947, we were Indians.
In 2017 we are anything but Indians.
We are a frustrated population who have forgotten that the land we draw blood upon in the name of stupidity has been won hard by sacrifices of lives and joys. We have forgotten that this land we take for granted is a land our ancestors fought upon to live their lives with dignity. We have forgotten that the land to which we have no respect left is the same land entrusted to us in the hope of a greater tomorrow.
We have forgotten that the ideals of tolerance, secularism, equality, nationalism are the very ideals which made us have this land.
And we are losing everything.